Dante's Franco
by sweetlittlehoneybee
Summary: When Dante first became a cop, he took down a murderer and helped put him away for life. What will happen when the murderer breaks out of prison to get revenge on Dante, using any means necessary? Dante, Lulu, Kristina, Sonny, Maxie, Jason, Lucky, Robin
1. Chapter 1

**Dante's Franco**

Chapter 1

Dante walked into the Port Charles Police Station that morning, as he had every morning for a week. After all, it had only been eight or nine days since he'd been checked out of General Hospital. Why had he been in the hospital? His father, Sonny Corinthos, had shot him in the chest for being an undercover cop. Had Sonny known Dante was his son? No. Actually, hardly anyone had known that Dante was Sonny's son. But Dante was lucky to be alive, and lucky to have a job with the PCPD, especially after lying in his official statement about how he'd been shot.

"Hey, Detective!" It was Mac. He walked by Dante, coffee in hand, and settled down in his desk. Immediately, he began to thumb through some files.

"Morning, Mac," said Dante as he made his way over to his desk. This was the first real desk Dante had ever had, because working undercover wasn't exactly a desk-type job. Then, something caught his eye. It was a letter with no return address, laying on a stack of paper. He picked it up and looked closely at it.

"Mac, did you see anyone put this," he held the letter aloft, "on my desk?"

Mac looked up from his work to examine the envelope. "Nope," he said with a shrug before returning his attention to the file he'd been studying.

Dante turned back to his desk, placing the envelope off to the side. From his pocket, he pulled out a little headshot of his girlfriend, Lulu Spencer. Smiling at it, he sat it up against a jar of pens. Lulu was the only thing Dante looked forward to now a days.

"Just open it, Dante," said Mac without looking up. "It's probably just something from one of the other detectives. Maybe he forgot the return address."

Although Dante doubted it, he replied, "Yeah, probably. Let's see." With his index finger, Dante carefully tore the envelope open. Inside was a flyer.

"What the-" Dante stopped short when he saw what the flyer depicted. 'Wanted – Murderer and Escaped Convict Ralph Maszen' was printed across the top in bold, and below was a picture of a young, grimacing man.

Mac heard Dante's pause, and walked over to see what was going on. He took one look at the flyer and nodded knowingly. "Oh yeah. I forgot to tell you about him. He's some murderer who escaped from prison a couple of days ago. Apparently, he's in the Port Charles area. I guess one of the detectives wanted you to know."

At that moment, Ronnie entered the station. He looked over at Dante and Mac and smiled. As he walked over, he said, "Oh, good. You got my letter."

Dante put the flyer down on his desk. He glanced up at Ronnie briefly. "You remembered."

"Remembered what?" asked Mac.

Before Ronnie could reply, Dante cut in. "Ralph was my first case. I was the man who sent him to prison."

"Right before they dragged him to the slammer, he yelled that the man who brought him down would die at his hands, if it were the last thing he'd ever do." Ronnie didn't seem very concerned. "Wouldn't it be funny if you brought him down again?"

"Yeah, sure." Dante sounded detached.

"We'll consider him a more of a threat, then. If he wants you dead, this could get ugly." Mac patted Dante on the back and walked back to his desk. Ronnie did the same before leaving the station.

Dante just sat there, looking at the picture of Lulu. Things weren't going very well lately, with Sonny about to stand trial and all. But everything was about to get much worse.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lulu flopped out on the couch after a long day at work, the remote control in hand. But before she could so much as turn the TV on, a loud knocking sounded at her door.

"Uhh," she groaned, getting up and opening it. Standing there was her boyfriend, Dante Falconeri. He looked happy to see her. Actually, 'happy' was an understatement.

"Hey beautiful," Dante pulled Lulu into him, kissing her gently on the lips. But before the kiss could turn into anything more, he pulled away. That wasn't like him.

"Dante. What's wrong?"

Dante made his way over to the couch and lied down. He motioned at Lulu to come over.

"Dante?"

"It's nothing much. Just this guy – Ralph. He escaped from prison yesterday or something, and I was the guy who put him away for murder."

"So?"

"Well, it's nothing, really. Before the guards dragged him away, he swore he would kill me. I ruined his life, and he wanted me to pay. Mac said this guy will be considered more of a threat because of it." Dante shrugged, and outstretched his arms for Lulu. But she just stood there.

"Dante. This is serious." She whispered. "Once again, for like the millionth time, your life is in danger. I don't know how much more of this I can stand." Lulu crossed her arms and looked up.

"I'm sorry to upset you, Lulu," said Dante as he stood up. Lulu walked into his arms and let him hold her close. Things had been really hard lately, for both of them.

"You know what?" said Dante giving Lulu a quick squeeze before walking over to the fridge. "Let's just shut out the world tonight. We could both use some time to ourselves, without thinking about all this stress."

Lulu watched him stick his head into the fridge, and heard the clinking of jars. She smiled to herself, wondering if every guy in the universe thought of food above all else.

"I think I could manage that," replied Lulu with a sigh. She sat down at the kitchen table and removed an apple from the fruit basket. While taking a big bite, she turned to watch Dante as he finally removed a tub of margarine, some cheese, and a couple slices of deli ham.

"Mmmm," Dante placed everything out on the table, grabbed some bread from the bread basket and threw a sandwhich together. It was the sloppiest sandwhich Lulu had ever seen, but Dante didn't seem to care.

Lulu put the apple down and walked up behind him, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. "Someone's hungry."

"And what's that for? Are my sloppy eating habits turning you on?"

Lulu laughed, turning Dante around to face her. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and kissed him.

He kissed her back.

Before long, the sandwhich had been forgotten. Dante scooped Lulu up in his arms and carried her into the living room. They snuggled together on the couch, kissing and saying absolutely nothing about Sonny, Ralph, or anything else stressful. It was the first night in two weeks that Dante felt completely free. Like everything that had been burdening him down had suddenly been lifted.

But it didn't last long.

_Bang Bang Bang!_ "Dante! Open up. I know you're in there!"

And just like that, all the stress returned in a tidal wave that crashed over Dante and Lulu. They both groaned as he stood up and made his way to the door.

"Hey, man, I have news." It was Ronnie.

"Uh, can't it wait for tomorrow?" Dante motioned into the room at Lulu, who was sitting cross-legged on the couch. She gave a little wave.

Ronnie walked in and turned to face Dante. "No, it can't. I've been looking everywhere for you, and you won't answer your phone. I've put too much effort into trying to find you."

Lulu moaned. "Please, just make it fast."

"You know Ralph? We got a call from a witness. They spotted someone who matched his physical description lurking near the pier."

Dante sighed. "I'm not scared of Ralph."

"Of course you're not," replied Ronnie, "but I thought you should know. He's a threat to you, and maybe even Lulu." Ronnie patted Dante on the shoulder and turned to go. "Take care of yourself, buddy."

Dante nodded and shut the door behind Ronnie.

Things were about to get a hell of a lot worse.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Authors Note - Hey everyone! Thanks for the awesome reviews! Hope you like this next chapter :)_**

**Chapter 3**

"Sonny?" Lulu knocked tentatively on the large wooden door. She hadn't been in Sonny Corithos's office since the day Dante was shot. Even then, standing awkwardly in front of the door, part of Lulu just wanted to leave. Well, to leave after screaming at Sonny some more about shooting her boyfriend. She began to turn away when she heard the door open.

"Lulu?" Sonny sounded surprised. Lulu turned back to look at him before stalking into the room. "Come in," finished Sonny, but Lulu was already standing in front of the couch, arms folded across her chest. She glanced around the room before looking back at Sonny as he shut the door.

"All I can think about is when I knew," whispered Lulu staring Sonny straight in his eyes. "I was at the party for Josslyn's christening. You know Carly; she loves parties. Dante never did show, so I called his cell. He didn't pick up, and I left the party. I came here, and what did I find? Patches of bloody cloth, and Dante's shirt. With a dark red stain down the center."

Sonny nodded, and looked up at the ceiling. "I think about it too. A lot, actually. I'll never forgive myself for what I did."

"Neither will I." Lulu sounded cold.

"So, why are you here?" Sonny was trying to sound casual, but it came across as forced to Lulu.

She dropped her arms to her side and sighed. "It's Dante." Sonny seemed to perk up a bit as Lulu continued, "When he first became a cop, he brought down some murderer named Ralph. As this guy was dragged off to jail, he said that he'd kill Dante. And now he isn't in jail anymore."

"What do you mean? Doesn't murder usually mean life in prison?"

"It does. Ralph escaped, and he was spotted by an eye witness near the pier. Dante's kind of just shrugging it off, but I'm scared. I just, I don't know. I think Ralph is here to get revenge on Dante." Lulu bit her lip nervously as she glanced up at Sonny. His expression was blank, and he said nothing.

"I mean," rattled on Lulu, "I don't think it's a coincidence that Ralph breaks out of prison and then ends up here, in Port Charles."

"But how would he know Dante was here?"

"With all the media surrounding your trial, everyone in America must know Dante's here. Look, Sonny, _I don't like you_. I wouldn't be here if I didn't think this was serious, and that you couldn't help." A single tear rolled down Lulu's cheek. She felt on the verge of hysterical.

"Okay, okay. Calm down, Lulu." Sonny slid into his desk chair. "I agree with you. This is serious."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"I'll talk to some people," answered Sonny, "and I'll make sure that _nothing_ happens to Dante. You have to trust me on this."

Lulu wiped a hand across her cheek to get rid of the tear. What choice did she have? Although Sonny hadn't exactly proved himself to be worthy of anything, least of all her trust, Lulu had no one else to go to. Sonny had power, and part of her believed that the man who'd shot Dante would end up being the one to save him. "Fine."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

It was dark when Lulu got home. It was also cold. She shivered while opening the door.

"Maxie?" Lulu called.

At first there was no reply, but then a flustered, "I'm coming!" sounded from one of the bedrooms. Within seconds, Maxie appeared around the corner holding a _Crimson_ magazine in one hand and a binder in the other.

"Why are you working? Didn't you just get home from work?" Asked Lulu but Maxie shrugged her off.

"How are things with Dante? I thought you two would, uh, be here when I got home. You weren't together yesterday either." Maxie walked over to where Lulu was and sat down on the couch. "Did something happen between you two? You sounded upset when you called in to tell Kate you couldn't come to work today. Oh my God, he broke up with you!"

Lulu scowled and pulled off her coat. "No Maxie, he did not break up with me. Last night we got interrupted, and Dante just left. Neither of us was in that good a mood. Tonight, well,"

Maxie interrupted, "Then where were you?"

"Sonny's house," Lulu blurted out, then immediately regretted it. Now she would have to explain the whole Ralph story to Maxie.

"_Why_? I thought you hated the guy."

"Of course I hate him. But I needed his help. Dante - Dante's in trouble, and since he won't protect himself, I asked Sonny to."

Maxie patted the empty portion of couch next to her. "Sit. And talk."

* * *

That night, Dante got back late. After work, he'd gone to visit Morgan and the two had had a good long talk about Sonny. Finally Morgan understood why Dante was working so hard to get their father in prison. And he respected it. After the semi-awkward Sonny-talk, the pair went on to discuss lighter topics – namely the Yankees. It had actually turned out to be a very rewarding night. But that didn't mean Dante didn't miss Lulu.

As he walked into his room at Kelly's, something on the bed caught his eye. After turning on the lights, he realized it was an unaddressed envelope.

"Another one?" Dante whispered out loud while sitting on his bed and opening the envelope. Inside were two photographs. One was of Dante as he walked into the police station that morning, and the other was of Ralph. It wasn't centered, and part of a finger could be seen covering the lens. It looked like a picture someone had taken of them self.

With shaking hands, Dante flipped the pictures over. On the back of the Ralph one were three messily printed words – _I'm watching you._ On the back of the Dante one were two.

_You're DEAD._


	5. Chapter 5

_**Authors Note – Thanks for the awesome reviews guys! I love reading them. To anyone who's reading this that hasn't left a review, please do! Good or bad, I really appreciate them. Well, here's chapter 5. Hope everyone likes it!**_

Chapter 5

Dante stared unbelievingly at the pictures. How did Ralph know where he lived? It was the Franco nightmare all over again.

Only now the target was _him._

_Bring-bring. Bring-bring._ Dante's cell phone began to ring. He slid it out of his pocket, half expecting it to be Ralph.

Thank God it was Lulu.

"Hey Lulu."

"Okay. What's wrong now? Is it the Ralph thing?" How did she do it? Lulu always knew when something was up.

Dante paused. He didn't want to tell her about the pictures; they would just scare her even more. How could he do that to her? "Oh, it's just work. I had a pretty tiring day."

Lulu laughed. "You are such a workaholic. Anyways, Maxie's in her room working her butt off on the new _Crimson_ layout. She's so concentrated that she couldn't hear a fire alarm. Wanna come over?"

_YES!_ Screamed Dante's mind, but he wasn't sure. What if it put Lulu in danger?

"Please? C'mon, Dante. I need you. Here."

How could he say no to that? "Okay, I'll be right over." Anyways, Dante reminded himself as he hung up the phone, last time he pushed Lulu away to protect her, she hadn't gone anywhere. It had just made her angry. He couldn't deal with that right now.

"That was fast," remarked Lulu as she let Dante in. She hugged him tightly.

"Okay," said Dante while shutting the door, "we've been through so much as a couple. And it's just made us stronger. In any other relationship, the couple would have had some _alone time_ by now, if you know what I mean. Is it too much to ask for us to?"

Without waiting for Lulu to reply, he scooped her up in his arms and laid her down on the couch. He crawled on top of her and they kissed.

That night, no one and nothing else existed in the world. It was just them.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Sonny walked into his office after returning from Kelly's. He'd just had coffee with a reluctant Kristina, but at least he'd had some time with her. Kristina was still mad regarding the shooting-a-cop thing, and this was the first time she'd agreed to see him at all. Sonny believed they were possibly getting somewhere.

As he slid down into his desk chair, he noticed an unaddressed envelope lying on top of a picture Morgan had made for him at school. Upon closer examination, though, Sonny read the word _Dante_ printed very small in the top right corner.

Two pictures fell out of the envelope – one of Dante and one of Ralph. On the back of the Ralph one, a long note had been printed. It read,

_Why hello Mr. Corinthos! Or can I call you Sonny? Anyways, I heard your son, DANTE FALCONERI, was trying to get you put away for life. Turns out he did the same for me, and succeeded. But I'm free now. I broke out of prison a couple of days ago. And now I'm here, in Port Charles. Why? You may ask. The answer is that I want revenge. Dante ruined my life, and now I'm going to kill him. It's that simple. Do you wish to help? It might save your life, and keep you out of prison. Give me a ring or send your guards to come find me. I'd gladly talk business with you anytime. But remember – my plans are already in motion, and they're not going to wait for you._

_Yours truly,_

_Ralph Maszen_

Sonny froze, letting the picture slide out of his hand and onto the desk. He picked up the other one – the Dante one – and flipped it over. He held his breath, and read:

_Hmm, a police station. What I neat place to die._

Biting his lip, Sonny picked up the phone and dialled Jason's number.

"Hello?"

"Come here. Now."

* * *

That morning, Dante woke up alone in an unfamiliar bed. Then he remembered.

Rubbing his eyes, he climbed out and put on some clothes. He then proceeded to walk into the kitchen. Standing at the stove, making pancakes, was Lulu. Maxie was sitting at the kitchen table with her binder in front of her.

"Hey beautiful," Dante came up behind Lulu and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her lightly on the head while she giggled.

"Go away!" she laughed, hitting Dante with the spatula, "I'm trying to make breakfast for the three of us. Do you want burnt pancakes?"

"No, not really," said Maxie with a yawn.

Dante kissed Lulu once more before sitting down across from Maxie.

"Were you up all night?" he asked, taking notice of the bags under her eyes. She yawned again.

"Kate wants the layout for tonight, and Lulu was supposed to help me. But I thought I'd be Mrs. Nice roommate slash co-worker and give her the night off."

Lulu turned around to look at Maxie apologetically. "Oh my God, Maxie! Why didn't you tell me? I would have helped you."

"But then you and Dante wouldn't have, you know," replied Maxie before looking down at her binder.

Dante laughed. "Thanks Maxie. It meant a lot to me."

"Whatever."

"Pancakes are ready!" shouted Lulu as she slid a couple of pancakes onto each plate.

"Why so excited?" asked Dante. He stood up and helped Lulu bring the plates and coffee to the table.

Maxie took a huge gulp of coffee before saying, "She never makes breakfast. I'm actually surprised we weren't served pancake ashes."

"Haha," said Lulu sarcastically, while getting the syrup from the fridge. Dante grabbed at it hungrily, dousing his pancakes in an ocean of syrup. He dug into the dish with his fork, shovelling a ton of the syrupy pancakes into his mouth.

"Mmmm, these are good," commented Dante after swallowing. He dug in for more.

As Lulu carefully cut her pancakes into little squares, she laughed and said, "Want any more pancakes with your syrup?"

"Okay, these are great, but I have to concentrate," Maxie sounded flustered. She stood up, and attempted to carry her over-stuffed binder, plate of pancakes, and coffee to her bedroom. If the sound of a binder crashing onto the floor meant anything, she'd pretty much failed.

Dante finished off his breakfast and carried the sticky plate over to the sink. He felt blissfully happy, not having to think of anything except Lulu. But he knew it wouldn't last.

"So," Lulu started casually, "any leads in the Ralph case?" She polished off her plate and followed Dante over to the sink.

And just like that, the memories of Ralph's note came rushing back to him.

"No," he lied. "There hasn't been any information about him since he was spotted by the pier."

Lulu bit her lip. She could only hope that that meant Sonny had _taken care_ of Ralph.


	7. Chapter 7

Authors Note – hey everyone! Sorry I haven't updated in a while. Here's chapter 7, and hopefully I'll be faster next time

Chapter 7

"What is it?" Jason raced into Sonny's office, shutting the door behind him.

"It's Dante," replied Sonny as he stood up from his desk chair. "Some escaped convict named Ralph Maszen is after him. He was spotted by the pier."

"What does he look like?"

"Here," Sonny fished around in his desk drawer, pulling out the two photos. He handed them to Jason, who looked briefly before flipping them over and reading the notes.

"Franco," whispered Jason under his breath. "This is the kind of thing Franco would do."

Sonny nodded. "Then you know what we're up against. Take him down before Dante or someone he loves ends up dead."

"Are you sure? With Dante out of the picture –"

"Just do what I asked. Kill Ralph. Now."

Jason nodded. "Fine. He'll be out of your hair in no time."

After Jason left, Sonny poured himself a drink and sat back down. He examined the picture closely for some hidden or cryptic meaning, something Franco would have left. But nothing really caught his eye. Frustrated, he threw the picture down and opened his top desk drawer. Inside was a gun.

Sonny had a feeling he'd need to use it soon.

* * *

It was a very tiring day for Lulu. After Dante had left in the morning, she'd gone to work with an exhausted Maxie. Of course, Kate had hated the layout, and Lulu had spent the entire day re-doing it. It was the very least she could do for her best friend, who'd pulled an all-nighter for her. Maxie, on the other hand, spent the day napping and pretending to help Lulu whenever Kate decided to check in on them.

When it was time for the girls to go home, Maxie had driven over to see Spinelli. Lulu went over to Kelly's to see Dante.

As she walked into the diner, Lulu spotted Kristina sitting in a corner table. Her eyes were bloodshot, and she was shaking. Immediately, she ran over to see her.

"Kristina?" Lulu sat down opposite of her and brushed some hair out of Kristina's face. Ever since the truth about Sonny being Dante's father had come out, Lulu had seen a lot more of Kristina. She was, after all, Dante's sister.

Kristina glanced up at Lulu briefly before looking back down at her lap. "I-I'm fine," she stuttered.

"No, you're not. What happened?"

"Nothing. Just-just a bad mark. I f-failed a t-test. It was an imp-important one t-t-to," Kristina started to cry a little harder. Lulu didn't believe that that was the case, but she knew Kristina wouldn't give her any more information.

"Why don't you come with me to visit Dante? His room's here. He'd probably be able to help you better than I could."

"No." Kristina was defiant. She rubbed her eyes and stood up, grabbing her purse. "Thanks Lulu, but it's okay. I need to get home anyways."

Lulu waved as Kristina left, and then made her way up to Dante's room. She decided not to tell him about his sister because it would just be another source of stress he didn't need. Taking a breath and fixing her hair, she knocked on the door.

"Hi," Dante stood in the open doorway without a shirt, looking surprised to see her.

"Hey, handsome," Lulu kissed him on the cheek and walked into the little room. She went over to the window immediately and looked out, spotting Kristina pushing someone away. "Who's that?" she whispered more to herself than to anyone else.

Dante joined her at the window. "Hey, isn't that Kristina? And that guy, he's," he paused to think, "He's her boyfriend, Kiefer."

Outside the window, Kristina was pushing Kiefer away, but he grabbed her arm roughly. It looked like he could be yelling at her.

Dante turned around and picked up a wrinkled shirt from his bed. After putting it on, he said, "That freak, Kiefer what's-his-face, tried to hurt Morgan a while back. I'm not going to let him hurt Krissy too." With that Dante was gone, the door left open behind him.

Lulu didn't follow him. Instead, she remained at the window to watch over Kristina. Kiefer still had a hold on her arm, and he began to back her up towards the brick wall. That was when Dante came out the diner's front door and grabbed Kiefer's shoulders. Lulu couldn't hear anything so she cracked open the window.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dante shouted as he smashed Kiefer up against the wall. "Kristina, go to my room," he added harshly as Kristina, clutching her arm where Kiefer had grabbed her, started to walk over to the door.

"Don't you dare, Kay," said Kiefer flatly. Dante pushed Kiefer harder into the wall, but Kristina paused.

"Go!" yelled Dante, and she ran into the diner.

A couple of seconds later, someone came to break up the guys, and Kiefer took off. Dante, shaking his head, followed Kristina into Kelly's.

Lulu heard a feeble knocking on the door and opened it right away. "Kristina," she whispered, wrapping an arm around her boyfriend's crying little sister. "Here, come sit." Lulu lead Kristina over to the bed and sat her down, just as Dante stormed in.

"That son of a-" he began, but stopped once he saw Kristina collapsed in tears next to Lulu. "Krissy," he sat down on her other side and rubbed her back.

"I-I'm fine," she whispered, looking up at the both of them. "Really. M-me and Kiefer d-don't fight a-a lot. I-I don't know w-what ha-happened."

Lulu looked over at Dante, who shook his head as if to say _she's lying_. Taking a breath, Lulu said quietly, "C'mon Kristina, I'll drive you home." Kristina nodded, and they stood up. Dante kissed his girlfriend, hugged his sister, and watched the two of them leave.

Overall, not the evening he'd been expecting.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

When Dante woke up the next morning, he walked straight into the hallway to retrieve his morning paper. Once again, the front page story was something about Sonny. Dante threw it on the bed without giving the article a second glance. But Dante _did_ give the card that had fallen out of the paper a second glance.

Dread clouded his mind. It had to be some kind of message from Ralph. Did he really need that right now? The answer to that was a resounding _no._

Trying his best to ignore the card, Dante got dressed and went downstairs to the diner. He really needed a coffee. A bagel wouldn't hurt either.

When Dante had paid for his food, he sat down at a little table by the door. He ate quickly, and was just about to finish up when his phone began to buzz.

"Hello?"

"Hi Dante," It was Lulu. "I just wanted to tell you that I got Kristina home safe last night. She was doing much better by the time I dropped her off."

Dante smiled. "Thanks Lulu. That was really sweet. Hey, so I was wondering if you wanted to go to Jake's with me when we're both done work. Then you can come back to my place. I really need to unwind."

"Sure. I'm looking forward to it."

"I love you."

Dante heard Lulu sigh happily before saying, "I love you too. More than anything."

"And I won't forget it."

* * *

That day, Sonny discovered another note from Ralph. This one he found shoved under the door to his house just as he was leaving to go see Jason. Unlike Dante, he picked it up immediately and read:

_What's taking you so long? I thought I'd made an offer that you couldn't refuse. How clear do I have to make myself? This is your last chance to help me make sure Mr. Falconeri will never send either of us to prison, ever again. Since you aren't approaching me, I'll approach you. Be home at 3 this afternoon, and let me in. Then we'll talk murder._

_~ Ralph M_

"Perfect," Sonny whispered to himself while calling Jason. This was a great opportunity to get rid of Ralph once and for all.

"What is it?" Answered Jason.

"Ralph. He's coming to see me at 3 this afternoon. Be here. We're going to take him down."

"Good. We can ambush him outside the gates. He won't know what hit him."

Sonny nodded and agreed to the plan. Jason would meet him at two thirty to prepare.

Even though Sonny felt content with what was about to go down, he couldn't help to wonder why it seemed so simple. So easy. Was Ralph just stupid? Or was Sonny missing out on something?

Was Ralph playing some sort of game, just as Franco had?


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Dante arrived at work that morning with the card on his mind. He was starting to think he'd made a mistake by not reading it before leaving.

But the card was soon the least of his worries.

As he walked into the station, Mac was speaking with an outraged Ronnie. For whatever reason, Ronnie kept pointing to his holster. Dante walked over to them to see what was going on.

"Ronnie, what happened?"

Ronnie and Mac turned around to look at Dante. Their features softened immediately.

"I was on my way here to talk to you when this guy jumped me by the pier. Before I even had a chance to fight back, the guy began to run away. And he had my gun." Ronnie explained, motioning to his empty holster.

"We think he was Ralph Maszen," added Mac.

Dante felt his palms start to sweat. Things were getting worse by the minute. "Why do you think that?"

"As he was running away," replied Ronnie, "he paused and held up my gun. He yelled something that sounded like 'Now that I have this, it's just a matter of time. Your dirty cop friend won't be around for much longer.' I don't know for sure, but it sounds like Ralph to me."

"We already suspected that he came to Port Charles to get revenge on you," said Mac, "and now this? It makes perfect sense. Ralph is out for your blood."

Dante sighed. "And now he's armed."

Ronnie and Mac nodded sadly.

"What are we going to do about it?" asked Dante.

"Do about what?" All three men turned to see Lulu walking towards them, holding a paper bag in her left hand. She paused, waiting for an answer.

Ronnie showed her his empty holster. "Someone stole my gun."

"Oh God," Lulu whispered, reading the nervous expressions depicted by each of the men before her. "Was it Ralph? Don't tell me it was Ralph."

Dante bit his lip. He hadn't planned on telling Lulu about the newest change in the Ralph case; it would have just stressed her out. But did he even have a choice anymore? "Lulu, listen to me. It's no big deal."

"Yes it is!" She was defiant. "Your life could be in danger, and I want to know if it is. I want to know if Ralph stole Ronnie's gun to kill you. Dante, tell me the truth."

Dante paused and Mac took things into his own hands. "Lulu, we have reason to believe that is was the escaped convict, Ralph Maszen, who stole the gun. We're not completely sure yet, but it looks like it very possibly could be."

Lulu's eyes went wide.

"We're going to give you two a moment," whispered Mac as he and Ronnie walked away. Dante took Lulu's hand in his and looked her in the eyes.

"Lulu, I love you, and I don't want you to worry about me. I can take care of myself. I'm a big boy." He laughed awkwardly.

Lulu's eyes brimmed with tears, and Dante pulled her to his chest. "Don't cry. It'll be okay."

"No it won't," Lulu cried, resting her head on his shoulder. She knotted her fingers in his hair and began to shake.

"Lulu, listen to me," said Dante sternly. He held Lulu away so that she could look him in the eyes. "I'm not going to let anything happen to me. And look," he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his gun. "I'm armed too. If I see Ralph, I'll get him. Problem solved. I'll be okay. _We'll _be okay."

"How do you know that?"

"Because I do." Dante kissed her forehead. "I love you, and I'm not going to hurt you. Ralph killing me will hurt you, so I won't let it happen."

Lulu nodded, sniffling slightly. Then she seemed to remember the paper bag, and handed it to Dante. "Here. I made a batch of chocolate chip cookies last night, after dropping Kristina off. I really needed to distract myself. I thought you'd like some." She smiled as Dante reached into the bag. The cookie he pulled out was burnt along the edges, so she added, "Sorry, I'm not the best baker."

Dante took a bite of the cookie. "These are amazing," he said, mouth full. "I love them. Thank you."

"Your welcome." Lulu kissed Dante on the cheek and walked out of the station. Dante watched her go and sighed. It was the first time he was genuinely worried that he might not see her again.

**Author's Note - So what do you guys think so far? Please leave your comments about what you like in this story so I know what to put in the coming chapters. Thanks!**


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10

It was 2:30 pm. Sonny was waiting at the door in case Ralph came early. Jason was outside, well hidden, ready to shoot Dante's Franco in the case that he tried to flee.

The time crawled by.

* * *

_Bang Bang! _Sonny heard Jason's gun go off, and the shot that greeted it. He flung open the door, wielding his gun, but saw no one. He could spot a single sheet of paper laying a little ways off on the lawn.

"Jason?"

Jason appeared from behind a shrub. "He got away. I saw him leaving something on the grass and turn to go, so I shot at him. But he was prepared. He heard me when I moved to get a better view, and ran. I think I shot him in the arm, but I don't know. He's gone."

"Was he armed?"

"Yes."

Sonny shook his head and walked over to the paper. It was a note from Ralph.

_I've decided that I don't need your help, Mr. Corinthos. I'll be taking care of Dante on my own, with the help of my brand new gun. He'll be out of our hair before you know it._

_Yours truly, _

_Ralph_

"Damn!" shouted Sonny after crumpling up the note and throwing it as far as possible. "This guy is Franco all over again! Dammit! I need to protect my son, and I can't. Jason, we need to get this psycho."

Jason put the gun back in his jacket. "Don't worry. We will."

* * *

After work, Dante decided to go home briefly before meeting Lulu at Jake's. He needed to know what the card said, or he wouldn't be able to give his undivided attention to his girlfriend. Bu he definitely wasn't looking forward to reading Ralph's next threat.

As Dante opened the door, something fell onto the floor by his feet. Another note. Things were getting worse by the minute. Sighing, he picked it up and carried it with him into the room. The card was where he'd left it that morning, and so was the unread newspaper.

Dante sighed and sat down on his bed. He decided to read the card first, and then he could search the newspaper for any other clues. The new note would come last. He felt bad being late for his date with Lulu, but the matter at hand needed to be dealt with first. With trembling hands, Dante removed the card from its envelope. On the front was a picture of a gun. Ronnie's gun. Inside was a handwritten note addressed to him.

_Mr. Falconeri,_

_It's about time that I write a formal letter to you, explaining what is going to happen over the next week or so. Think of these as rules. If you follow them, you and your loved ones will survive another day. It's as simple as that._

_On my way to drop of this note, I stole your friend's gun. This gun will come in handy during these coming days. Well, for me. Definitely not you. _

_I know about Lulu. I know how much you care about her, and the love you two share. I'm going to use that love as your motivation. You will do what I say, when I say it, or Lulu will disappear. And she'll suffer before I kill her, believe me. _

_Your mother, Olivia. I know about her too. She's next on my list. After Lulu's out of the picture, Olivia will go. If you disobey me at all after Lulu's death, Olivia will disappear._

_The last person on my list is your new little sister, Kristina. After Olivia, it's Kristina. I don't think you'd want that._

_Anyways, over the next week, we will be playing a game. When I tell you to do something, do it. Otherwise you are familiar with the consequences._

_You should await my instructions._

_~ Ralph._

Dante didn't move. He didn't breathe. Instead, he sat as if frozen in time, not daring to look at the new note sitting before him. But he had to read it, or Lulu could die. That night.

The new note sat with the blank side facing up. Dante turned it over, and read his first set of instructions.

_I got shot today. In the arm, in case you were wondering. Nothing serious though; the bullet just grazed my skin. Do you know why I was shot? I was trying to leave a note for your father when his friend, Jason I think, jumped out from behind a bush. My note to your father said that he should expect your visit. Why? Because of this note. I want to up the game. Go to Sonny's house at precisely 9 pm tonight and show him the card from earlier. It will make things a lot more interesting._

_~ Ralph._

Dante checked his watch, and it read 8:45. He'd have to cancel his date with Lulu, but he didn't want to tell her why. Immediately, he dialled her number.

"Dante! Where are you?" Lulu sounded relieved. "I've been waiting for twenty minutes! Did you get tied up with work?"

At that moment, it felt to Dante as though his heart had just shattered into a million pieces. He couldn't believe that Lulu might die because of him. "Yeah, I did. Sorry beautiful, but I won't be able to make it. Work stuff."

He heard a sigh sound on the other side of the line. "Ralph stuff." It wasn't a question.

"Yes, it is Ralph stuff. I'm sorry."

"No, it's fine. Just take care of yourself." Lulu hung up, and Dante dropped his head into his hands. But he didn't have time to wallow in his grief, because he had to get over to Sonny's house before nine.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

"Sonny?" Dante stood at his father's door, calling his name at precisely 9 pm. For five minutes he'd been waiting on the stoop, hand on his gun, not wanting to do anything against Ralph's instructions. Luckily, Sonny answered right away.

He looked surprised. "Dante? Come in." Taking large strides, Dante entered Sonny's house and walked straight into the office. He moved his hand into his jacket pocket where the card was, and pulled it out.

"What do you need?" asked Sonny, sitting down on the couch. In any other circumstances, he'd have sat down at his desk. But the couch seemed more casual for a talk with his son.

Dante remained standing as he held up the card. "This. It's a message from Ralph Maszen. I'm guessing you're familiar with him?"

Sonny nodded. "He's been trying to contact me for a few days now. Jason shot him."

"Hardly," Dante muttered, "I've been getting notes from him, and in the most recent one, it says that the bullet just grazed his skin. Based on what that note said, he isn't even shaken up."

"When did you get this note?"

"When I returned home from the station at around 8:30. It was stuck in my door. But obviously the freak knows how to get into my room, because he's left an envelope inside before." Dante handed the card over to Sonny. "Here. The note said to come to your house at exactly 9 pm and show this to you. I got it with my paper in the morning. Read."

Sonny took the card and looked at the gun. "Is this the gun he used to fire at Jason?"

"Yep. He stole it from Ronnie this morning."

After opening the card, Sonny read. Then he went very, very still.

"Lulu," he whispered, "I get that. Olivia, I get that too. But Kristina," Sonny began to shake in anger. "He's going after my daughter!" He screamed, banging his fist against the armrest. "My baby girl! He isn't going to hurt any of them. Because he'll be dead before he has the chance."

"How do you think I feel about it?" shouted Dante. "He has me playing some game to keep the people I love the most alive. He knows that I couldn't live with myself if Lulu, or my mom, or my sister ended up dead. I have to follow some asinine set of rules just to stay around for another day. Ralph is a psychopathic freak, just like Franco!" Dante tried to take deep breaths, and remain as calm as possible. "And you know what? Even if I follow the rules, Lulu is toast. And after her, my mom. Then Kristina. By the end of it, he'll just kill me too!"

"Why didn't you tell me." Sonny and Dante turned to look at the doorway leading to the office. Standing there, a mask of outrage and fright on her face, was Lulu. "Why didn't you tell me?" she repeated hysterically. "You said everything was under control. You said you'd be okay. And now even Kristina's in danger?" She was trembling. Dante ran over to her, making a move to wrap his arms around her. But Lulu stepped away. "How could you keep me in the dark about this, Dante? And Sonny," still shaking, Lulu turned to look at Sonny who'd stood up. "You said that you'd take care of it. Why isn't Ralph dead yet?" That was when Lulu broke down in tears. She stumbled over to the couch and buried her face in her hands.

Sonny looked over at Dante who was looking at the ceiling. "Show her the card," he said.

"Here, Lulu," Dante handed his girlfriend the card. "I won't keep you in the dark anymore. Starting now. Read this." Lulu took the card without so much as glancing up at Dante. After reading it, she sighed and composed herself.

"There are some things we need to do, and I'm surprised you haven't thought of them yet. Get Kristina out of the country. Send her with Michael and Morgan, because they could be in danger to." Lulu stood up, glaring at both the men standing before her.

"What about you?" Asked Dante quietly.

"Just because I'm mad right now doesn't mean that I don't love you. I'm staying here."

"No," shouted Sonny and Dante in unison. Lulu scowled.

"I'm going home, and I intend to everyday for the duration of this nightmare." And with that, Lulu turned at left.

"I'll be right back," said Dante as he ran after her.

Dante caught up with Lulu as she was walking out the front door. "Hold on," he whispered in her ear. She paused and turned around in time to see Dante pull out his gun. "I'm going first."

"Now you're the one overreacting," said Lulu flatly, but Dante pushed in front of her and held out his gun.

"I'm not taking any chances," he answered. "Is Maxie home?"

"Yeah. She was on her way home when I went to Jakes."

Dante nodded. "Good."

Together, Lulu and Dante made their way over to her car. She climbed in the driver's seat, and rolled down the passenger's window.

Dante leaned in and said, "Why did you come over here anyways?"

"I have a confession," Lulu began, "A few days ago, when you weren't taking this whole mess seriously, I went and talked to Sonny about it. I asked him to get rid of Ralph. When you said you couldn't meet me, I decided I should see how Sonny's plans were going." Lulu looked down at the wheel "Obviously they weren't going all that well. This guy's just as untouchable as Franco was. And I'd rather not be strapped to a truckload of explosives again." She sighed.

Dante felt terrible. How could he have let Lulu be put in so much danger? "You're not going to be. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe. Wait, I know. How about you stay with Lucky tonight? It'll be much safer."

Lulu sighed again. "Sure. If it makes you feel better."

"It does," Dante assured her. "I love you."

"I love you too," Lulu said before driving off.

Dante watched the car disappear from sight before walking back to the house. Inside, Sonny was pouring himself a drink.

"She's going to stay with Lucky," said Dante.

Sonny took a gulp of his drink and sat down at his desk. "Good. And I think she was right about Kristina. I can get her out of the country tonight."

"I don't know," began Dante. "Maybe we should leave that as a last resort. It wasn't in Ralph's instructions, so he might take Lulu. Let's get Krissy out if something happens to Lulu."

Sonny didn't reply. Instead, he picked up the picture of Kristina he had sitting on his desk. "She's been through so much," he finally whispered.

"I know she has. So have Lulu, and my mom. We need to look out for all of them."

"We will," swore Sonny. "And that's why we're going to take down this freak once and for all."

**Authors Note - Hope you guys are still liking this story! Remember, any feedback is good feedback, so I really appreciate every review. Thanks!!**


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

It was another note.

Dante spotted it lying on his pillow after arriving home from Sonny's house, and immediately felt his heart sink. Since it could be a set of instructions, he read it.

_Well I see that you have followed my instructions to a tee, Mr. Falconeri. Now that Sonny knows about Kristina, the stakes have been raised. I'm guessing that he will come after me himself at this point. Good job. Anyways, Lulu survives another night. Await more instructions in the morning._

_ ~ Ralph_

Sighing, Dante undressed and got into bed. Things were not looking good, and if he wanted to be flawless in how he followed the instructions, he'd need a good night's sleep.

* * *

"Hey Lucky," Lulu stood at her brothers door, clutching her purse and phone.

Lucky looked caught off guard. "Lulu? It's late. Did something happen? Here, come in."

After sitting down on the couch, Lulu contemplated telling Lucky about Ralph. But what if getting him involved went against some sort of rule? Then she'd be dead. "Maxie and I just had a fight," she lied smoothly, "and Dante's, uh, busy. With work stuff. I need somewhere to spend the night."

Lucky nodded. "Sure, sure Lulu. I'll make up the couch for you. Feel free to get a drink or something to eat."

"Thanks," said Lulu as Lucky walked upstairs to get blankets. She remained sitting. She didn't answer her phone when it began to vibrate. She didn't stand up when the doorbell rang. It rang again, but she made no move to answer it.

When it rang for a third time, Lucky appeared at the top of the stairs. "Lulu, why aren't you getting that?"

Lulu didn't respond. She felt dizzy.

"Lulu?" Lucky went downstairs and answered the door, all the while looking at Lulu with concern in his eyes.

Standing there was Jason.

"Oh, hi Jason," said Lucky. He stepped aside and let Jason in.

"I needed to talk to you about something. It's similar to the Franco thing-" Jason stopped when he saw Lulu. She still made no movements.

"Lulu, are you okay?" Now Lucky sounded very worried. "Lulu?" He walked around to the front of the couch and kneeled before his sister.

Lulu didn't answer at first. She continued to do nothing; just stare ahead with empty eyes. Jason came around to stand next to Lucky. Finally, she looked up at them both.

"My life is a mess," she whispered at last. Lucky reached out for her hand.

"Why?"

"Remember Franco?" She said. Both men nodded. "Jason, I'm guessing you came here to tell Lucky about Ralph. Am I right?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah. Sonny called and told me this guy was a bigger threat than before. He didn't elaborate. I came to talk to Lucky because I think we could use some extra help."

"What are you talking about?" Lucky looked confused.

Lulu sighed and squeezed his hand. "Some Franco-esque guy named Ralph is trying to get revenge on Dante. Ralph's been contacting him through notes for the past week, and has him playing some bizarre game. Just today, Dante found a card that says every time he makes a mistake, Ralph will make someone disappear. First me. Then Olivia. And then Kristina Davis. The truth is that I didn't fight with Maxie. Dante was worried about me, and said I should come here. I don't know how much more of this crap I can take." Lulu was trembling slightly, and her breaths were shaky. "First Franco kidnaps me and straps me to a bomb. Then Dante gets shot in the chest. Now this." That was when she broke down. It felt like she'd been doing a lot of that lately. And it wasn't like her.

Lucky sat down on the couch next to Lulu and began to rub her back. "I know things look bad, but we'll get through this. You have to believe we will."

"No," whispered Lulu. "No," she repeated more loudly. "I've gotten lucky so many times lately. Too many times. This is the end of the road, and I just know it. I'm done. Even if Dante comes to my rescue, he'll just be shot. W-where d-d-does th-that l-leave m-m-me?" She choked out the last few words.

"Lulu, listen." Jason sounded defiant. "We're going to take this psycho down. For you, for Dante, for Olivia and Kristina. Ralph won't lay a hand on any of you. Lucky, that's what I came here to talk to you about. I think you could help, as long as we keep things under wraps.

"Sure," replied Lucky. "Just let me set Lulu up." He turned his attention to Lulu and helped her to stand. "You can have my bed tonight, Lu. Let's go."

Lulu stood up shakily and allowed Lucky to help her up the stairs. A few minutes later, she was snuggled under the covers, and Lucky was turning out the lights.

"Good night sis," he whispered, and was gone.

But Lulu didn't have a good night. She tossed and turned, unable to get the topic of Ralph out of her head. The words that had been printed in the card seemed to be repeating over and over again in her mind. She no longer felt safe.

* * *

"So what do you think I can do to help?" Asked Lucky. He and Jason were seated opposite each other at the kitchen table, each with a cup of coffee to help them stay awake and alert.

"Whatever you can to get this creep away from your sister," Jason replied. "I almost got him earlier today – the freak was leaving a note on Sonny's lawn, and I shot at him. Too bad I had a bad angle, and the bullet only grazed his skin."

Sighing, Lucky nodded. "I'll do what I can. Should I inform the rest of the force about the card and notes?"

"No," said Jason quickly, "As long as the station knows Ralph is out there, that's enough. By telling Mac and the others about the threats, it might go against the wacko game he has Dante playing. This situation is just as tricky as the Franco one."

"You're right," agreed Lucky solemnly, "We can't afford to make any mistakes. My sister's life is at stake. I'll look for him on my own."

"Remember – he's armed. You find him, you shoot him. Before he shoots you." When Jason had finished, he thanked Lucky and left.

Lucky hardly slept at all.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

As was expected, there was another note waiting for Dante when he got his newspaper that morning. With a heavy heart, he shook the envelope out of the paper and sliced it open. But before he could read it, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Dante, it's Lulu," the voice on the other end of the line sounded frantic and scared.

"Lulu, what's wrong?" But all Dante heard on Lulu's end was crying. Then someone else picked up the phone.

"Dante? Hi. This is Lucky."

"Oh, hi Lucky. Did Lulu spend the night at your house?" Dante was surprised that Lulu had taken his safety precautions seriously.

There was a pause, and then, "Yeah, she did, but that's not what we called about. This morning, Lulu woke up and there was a note on the bedside table. It was from Ralph."

Time seemed to stop. Ralph had known where Lulu was, and had somehow gotten into the house. _He had watched her sleep, stood over her when she couldn't protect herself. _Dante felt angrier than he had ever felt before. "What did it say," he said through clenched teeth.

"That she couldn't run. He'd always find her." Lucky's voice broke on the last word.

Dante threw himself off the bed and pounded the wall with his fist. He felt like screaming.

"Dante? What was that?"

"I'm just angry," he fumed, "because people I care about are paying the price for something I did. Lulu's in danger because some psycho wants to get to me. Things shouldn't be this way."

Another pause. Lucky seemed to be gathering his thoughts. "Look, this isn't your fault. When you sent Ralph to prison, you were just doing your job. You were finding justice for the person he murdered."

"It was his wife," muttered Dante. "Ralph beat her to death. The case reminds me so much of Sonny's. What he did to Claudia."

"Dante, one thing at a time. Let's focus on Ralph, and worry about Sonny's trial later. Come over here as soon as you can." Lucky sounded defeated.

"Yeah, sure. I'll be there as soon as I can," said Dante, and before he hung up, he heard the sound of Lulu. Crying. It broke his heart into a million pieces.

And that was before he remembered about the new note. Sighing, he shook it out of the envelope. Then, he read.

_Go to Lucky Spencer's house. Your girlfriend is there, whether you knew it or not. Read what I left for her, and then show it to Luke. It will make things a little more exciting. If you follow these instructions, WHICH YOU WILL, Sonny, Luke, and the police will all be involved. This just makes the entire game more of a game, in my opinion. My final reward will just be that much greater._

_ ~ Ralph_

Without stopping to think, Dante grabbed his leather jacket and ran out of his room with the note. At least the instructions weren't hard or dangerous. They were easy, and made his day just that much simpler.

When the doorbell rang, Lulu was sitting on the couch with a mug of coffee. Lucky had the paper, and was reading it next to her. The pair sat in silence.

"I'll get it," said Lucky quietly. He put down the paper and walked over to the door. Lulu was just staring blankly into space, even after the door was opened.

"Hey Lucky," Dante's voice was full of concern. "Where's Lulu?"

"On the couch," Lucky replied, stepping aside to allow Dante into the room. He shut and locked the door behind him.

Lulu didn't look up. Instead, she sipped absently on her coffee and made no move to acknowledge Dante's presence.

"Lulu? You okay?" Dante whispered gently. He eased himself onto the couch next to her and wrapped an arm over her shoulders.

No reply.

Lucky sat back down in an armchair and looked over at his sister and her boyfriend. "Of course she's not okay, Dante. Did you hear what I told you on the phone?"

"I know. I just-" Dante stopped short, unsure of what to say next.

That was when Lulu turned her gaze onto Dante. Her eyes were big and fearful. Tears brimmed along the bottom.

"I'm fine," she said in a barely audible voice. "Do you want to see the note?"

Dante nodded, and Lucky went upstairs to get it.

"How'd you sleep?" asked Dante as he rubbed Lulu's back.

"Terrible."

"Did you see Ralph leave the note?"

"No. I dozed off around five in the morning."

"Have you eaten something?"

"I tried, but I felt kinda, I don't know. _Funny. _I just couldn't."

"That's okay. If you want, we can go to Kelly's later. I'm calling into the station to tell them I'm not coming to work today."

"Sounds good. I've already called Maxie to tell her I don't feel great and that I'm not going .to the office. I haven't told her about Ralph, though."

"Maybe you should. Just so she knows." Dante pulled Lulu against him in a hug before standing up to take the note from Lucky.

"What the hell?" He shouted angrily after reading the note. "_You can't run. I'll always find you. _Who does this psycho think he is?" Dante crumpled up the note and flung it across the room in a fit of rage. Lulu didn't move.

"Dante, calm down," said Lucky loudly. "This isn't going to help anything."

Lulu stood up abruptly. "I don't feel well," she whispered before running to the bathroom.

Dante groaned. "How could I have let this happen to her? I've put her in so much danger that she's physically unwell, probably from the fear."

"Don't blame yourself," muttered Lucky. "Blame the idiot who's doing this. It isn't your fault."

"Should I check on Lulu?" asked Dante quietly. He felt awful.

Nodding, Lucky agreed. Dante ran over to the bathroom and knocked on the door.

"Lulu? You okay?"

The door opened and Lulu emerged. She nodded. "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Just a scare. I haven't felt all that good lately."

Dante wrapped his arms around Lulu's shoulders and walked her back into the living room. Lucky was on his cell phone, speaking in a hushed voice. When the couple entered, he hung up quickly.

"You okay, Lu?" Lucky asked.

"Yeah. I'm good," replied Lulu with a forced smile. "Dante and I are going to go to Kelly's right now anyways. I think that will help."

"Good," Lucky picked up Lulu's jacket and purse off the couch, and handed them to her. She hugged her brother after accepting them.

"Thanks. Could I come back here tonight? I feel safer."

"For sure," Lucky squeezed her a little tighter before releasing. Dante and Lulu headed for the door and waved.

"Thanks, Lucky," said Dante sincerely. Then the pair was gone.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

"Feeling better?" asked Dante. He and Lulu were sitting across from each other at a table in Kelly's. Lulu had a jumbo chocolate milkshake and a donut in front of her, while Dante was drinking a coffee. Both were smiling.

"Much better," whispered Lulu. She leaned across the table and kissed Dante tenderly. His hands lingered on her cheeks even after she'd pulled away.

Suddenly Dante's phone began to vibrate. He checked the caller id and froze instantly.

Lulu stopped and put her donut down. "Dante, what is it?"

"I don't know," he replied. "It's an unfamiliar number. What if..."

"It's Ralph," finished Lulu with a sigh.

"Hello?" Dante spoke as casually as he could into the phone.

"_I'm guessing you already have a feeling who I am," _said the ominous voice slowly, "_But I'll tell you anyways. My name is Ralph Maszen, and I've made it my personal goal to destroy your life. And believe me – that doesn't mean I'm going to kill you. It means I'm going to kill the girl sitting across from you. Eventually. But the longer and better you follow my instruction, the longer she'll survive."_

Dante flashed a quick glance at Lulu. She was biting into her donut and looking at him quizzically. At least she hadn't heard what Ralph was saying.

"Okay," said Dante, trying to play it cool to mislead Lulu, "so what is it that you want now?"

_"To do what I've already asked you. Go talk to Luke. I know you haven't yet, so do it within the next fifteen minutes or say goodbye to Lulu."_

"Fine."

_"Bye-bye, Dante Angelo Falconeri." _The line went dead. Dante shoved his phone back into his jacket pocket and stood up abruptly.

"What is it?" Lulu sounded worried.

Did he really want to lie to her? No. "You know how I'm getting instructions from Ralph?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, I need to show the note that was left on your bedside table to Luke. In the next fifteen minutes." Sighing, Dante walked around the table to help Lulu up.

"Don't!" muttered Lulu urgently. "He'll freak out! And you don't want to see Luke freak out. He'll target you. He'll blame you. Just don't."

"I have to. Otherwise...you know what will happen." Dante kissed Lulu on the lips quickly and lead her out of the diner by her hand. When they were outside, he kissed her longer and more passionately. Lulu pulled away first.

"Fine. Go, but just make sure not to stand too close to my father when you tell him," she laughed a little and allowed Dante to pull her against his chest.

'Where are you going to go? You took the day off, so you should do something fun."

"I'll call Carly or Kristina. Maybe we can go to the movies."

"Good idea," said Dante, feeling a little bit better that Lulu seemed to be somewhat happy. "I'll call you tonight. We should do something."

"Sure," smiled Lulu as she walked off towards her car. Dante stood in place for a few seconds, preparing himself for the full wrath of Luke.

* * *

"Hello, Dante," said Luke. Dante was in the Haunted Star, standing by the blackjack table. Luke was across from him.

"Hi, Luke. Uh, let's make this quick. Basically I'm being stalked and the stalker is out to ruin my life. He's got me playing some sort of game where I follow these instructions every day, and if I mess up even the littlest bit, he'll make someone I love disappear. First it'll be Lulu. Then my ma, Olivia. Then Kristina."

Luke didn't respond.

"This morning I got instructions to give this to you. Last night, Lulu didn't feel safe, so she stayed at Lucky's house. Apparently my stalker knew, because when she woke up, this note was on her bedside table."

After taking the note from Dante, Luke read. Very calmly, he handed it back to his daughter's boyfriend. "Where was it that she found this?"

"Lucky's bedside table. But she was sleeping in his bed. From what I know, I think Lucky was on the couch."

"He was in my son's house?" Anger dripped from Luke's words, but he remained composed. "And he's going to kill by daughter. Kill her, just like that, if you make a tiny mistake."

Dante sighed and looked at his hands. "Yeah, I'm not exactly happy about it either."

"So how are you going to fix it?" Luke asked as he stared intently at Dante.

"Well, the police are involved. So are Sonny and Jason. I think my stalker wants you involved, too, so that the stakes are raised."

"Fine," responded Luke. "What's his name?"

"Ralph Maszen. Escaped convict. I put him away for murder a while back, and he escaped to get revenge on me."

"Alright. I'll do what I can."

"Look, Luke? I'm really sorry." Dante shook his head and turned to go.

"Just protect my little girl," was Luke's reply. Dante sighed and walked out of the Haunted Star. That was when he heard the gunshot, and felt it tear through the air next to him.

"What the-" He turned around and saw a little hole in the wall, about an inch or so from where his arm had been. Trying to remain calm, Dante pulled his gun out of his jacket and held it in front of him as he walked back to his car.

There was a note under the wiper.

_Did I scare you? Well, that was the idea. You didn't really think I'd kill you now, this early in the game, did you? Anyways, this whole playing-to-keep-Lulu-alive thing has gotten pretty old. I'm going to take her out of the picture. Tonight. Tomorrow you'll be playing to keep Olivia alive._

_~ Ralph_

_PS – Try and stop me._

**A****uthor's Note - thanks so much for the awesome reviews everybody! They are greatly appreciated :) So, do you guys like where the story's going?**


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

The note fluttered to the ground while Dante stood in place. After a minute or so of standing in shock, he sprung into action.

"Pick up!" His cell phone was pressed to his ear with one hand, and his other hand was gripping the wheel. It was noon. There was still time to save her.

The phone just kept on ringing. Then the answering machine came on.

"Hi! You've reached Lulu Spencer's cell. Please leave a message at the beep, and I'll call you back ASAP. Thanks!" _BEEP._

"Damn," swore Dante as he snapped his phone shut. He threw it on the passenger's seat and hit the gas. In no time he'd pulled up at Lulu's apartment.

* * *

Lulu was sitting at Kelly's with Carly, enjoying a much needed cup of coffee. Carly smiled across the table at her.

"So how are things with you and Dante?" she asked before taking a sip of her latte.

Lulu played with the beading on her clutch. Dante was a touchy subject for the cousins to discuss, due to the fact that Carly had very strong ties with Sonny. And Dante was working his hardest to put Sonny away for life.

"We're good. Really good, actually. I've never felt this way about any guy before." Lulu let out an uneasy laugh, somewhat worried that Carly would bring up Sonny.

But she didn't.

"Aw, I'm so happy for you," said Carly, reaching across the table to take Lulu's hands in hers. "Finally you get the guy you deserve. And believe me, Lulu, you deserve someone who treats you right."

"Thanks, Carly." Lulu decided not to mention Ralph, because it would immediately turn the mood sour. She sighed, hoping that the guy she deserved wouldn't be murdered in the coming days. "Oh yeah, I forgot to ask you. When you were pregnant, did you feel kind of uneasy? Kind of off?"

Carly seemed to think for a moment before answering. "Well, at the start of the pregnancy, I guess I felt different than usual. _Off_ is a good way to describe it. It might have had to do with the pregnancy, I don't really know. Then I had morning sickness, but that came later."

Lulu nodded and put a hand on her stomach. It had felt a little uneasy lately, and she began to worry. Ever since she and Dante had been together that night, her stomach had felt off. She bit her lip. What if...

"Oh my God!" Cried Carly. "You're pregnant!"

"No! No I'm not," protested Lulu quickly. "I mean," she dropped her voice to a hush, and Carly leaned in to hear better. "It was only once, and he used a condom." Suddenly, Lulu's mind wandered to her first pregnancy, and how a condom hadn't really helped. She gulped.

"Fine, but go and buy an at-home pregnancy test today. If you don't want to know, I do!" Carly laughed.

"Okay, okay. I will."

"Hey, why was it that you took today off?"

Lulu carefully considered her answer, and then replied, "I just needed a day some time away from Kate. Some time off."

"We all do, sweety." Carly stood up and grabbed her purse off the chair. "Well I better get going. This was nice, Lulu. I've missed you."

"Same." Lulu walked over to her cousin and gave her a quick squeeze. "We should do this again. Soon."

"Definitely." Carly waved as she walked out the door, leaving Lulu in the diner.

"Oh!" Lulu raced over to her clutch, remembering that she had forgotten to turn her phone on. _One missed call _it read on the display. She wasn't in the mood to check who had called her, so she just dropped it back in her bag. Then she left the diner and headed over to the nearest drug store for a pregnancy test.

* * *

"Lulu! Open up!" Shouted Dante. He banged on Lulu's apartment door, but to no avail. Lulu wasn't there, and Maxie was at work. The apartment was empty. Grunting, he pulled out his cell phone.

"Hello?" Sonny picked up on the first ring.

"This is Dante."

Sonny sounded surprised. "Dante? Wait – is this something to do with Ralph?"

Man, did Dante hate hearing that name. "Yeah. He just shot at me when I was leaving the Haunted Star. Then he left me a note on my window shield saying that he'd kill Lulu tonight."

There was silence on the other end of the line. Then, "Did you call her?"

"Of course I did! She's not picking up. I need you to put guards on her, and maybe even my mom. Then send Kristina away. Things just got a lot worse."

"Okay. In the meanwhile, try to get a hold of Lulu. You'll probably be able to find her faster than Jason can."

"Fine." Dante hung up and leaned back against the wall. Suddenly, the elevator opened and Maxie stepped out.

"Dante?" She pushed past him and unlocked her door. "Here, come in."

"Thanks, Maxie." Dante walked into the room, and lingered by the couch. Maxie, who was obviously in a rush, raced over to the fridge and grabbed a low-fat yogurt.

"Are you looking for Lulu? She just texted me to say she was at Kelly's."

Dante was gone in two seconds, leaving Maxie calling after him.

* * *

"Maxie? Hi, I'm on my way back to the apartment with a pregnancy test." Lulu had just parked her car and was stepping out.

"Oh God, Lulu. I just left the apartment because I forgot my lunch. Dante was looking for you. I think you should call him."

"Okay. I have to go. Bye!" Lulu hung up without waiting for Maxie to reply. She walked into the apartment and went straight to the bathroom with her test. Then she held her breath and shut the door.

* * *

Lulu wasn't at Kelly's. According to Mike, she'd left shortly after Carly. Sighing, Dante pulled his phone out and dialled Lulu's number, but it just rang and rang. Eventually, he got the answering machine. That was when Kristina walked into the diner.

"Oh, hi Dante!" she exclaimed after catching sight of her brother about to leave. She was in her school uniform, with a bag hanging over her shoulder. Obviously, school had just ended, and it had to be three pm. Lulu was running out of time.

"Hey, Kristina. How was school?"

"Oh, it was good." Kristina was all smiles. "Hey, do you want to get a milkshake with me? I have to wait here for Kiefer. He's coming in half an hour."

Dante bit his lip. _Kiefer. _"I'd love to Krissy, but I need to get a hold of Lulu. She isn't picking up her phone, and I have something important to talk to her about. But how are you and Kiefer?"

"Fine," responded Kristina a little too quickly. "Everything's fine."

"Okay." Dante gave his sister a quick hug. "I better go looking for my girlfriend. I'll talk to you later!" And with that, he ran from the diner.

* * *

Frozen in place, Lulu clutched the pregnancy test to her chest. She couldn't move. She couldn't even think straight. The test said she was pregnant. _Pregnant._ She, Lulu Spencer, was pregnant.

_Ring. Ring. Ring. _Lulu could hear her phone ringing on the coffee table in the living room. But she made no attempt to answer it.

Taking slow, deliberate steps, Lulu walked into the kitchen with one hand on her stomach. She pulled a raspberry yogurt from the fridge and took a couple of bites. Then she threw the rest out. She no longer had an appetite.

"Dante!" Lulu remembered aloud. Dante, the father of her baby, needed to know. But she couldn't tell him over the phone. So she decided to call him and organize a date of some sort for that night.

When Lulu picked up her cell, the display told he she had two missed calls from Dante. What could he want?

"Hi Dante," she whispered into her phone when Dante answered on the first ring.

"Thank God, Lulu. I've been trying to get a hold of you for hours."

"Yeah, my phone was off. Anyways, I have some news. Can you meet me at the pier around five?"

"Sure, but I need to tell you-"

"Sorry, Dante. But I don't have time. I need to go." And without waiting for Dante to reply, she hung up. There was a lump in her throat, and her eyes brimmed with tears. She couldn't let Dante hear her like that. A baby was supposed to be a blessing.

Her phone began to ring again, and Dante's number showed up on the screen. Lulu, choking back tears, pressed _ignore_ and turned her phone off. Then she went into the bathroom, sat down on the floor, and cried her eyes out.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Dante was driving as fast as he could. He had to get to Lulu's apartment before she left, or before Ralph got there. But when he finally pulled into the parking lot and had made his way to her door, there was no answer to his knock. So he banged.

No responce.

So he screamed Lulu's name.

No response.

And that was when Dante realized that he might never see Lulu again.

* * *

It was four in the afternoon, and Lulu had an hour to kill. Wanting to be away from her apartment, she left for Jake's. But as she was driving out of the lot, Lulu noticed Dante driving in. He didn't notice her, so she kept going. She didn't have the courage to talk to him yet.

When she got to Jake's, Lulu noticed Lucky sitting at a table by the door. She ran over and hugged her brother tightly.

"Hi Lucky! What are you doing here?"

Lucky motioned for Lulu to sit down across from him. "I'm on break. Hey, were you crying?"

Immediately, Lulu rubbed her swollen red eyes. She didn't want Lucky to know she'd been crying. Or the reason she'd been crying.

But she had to tell someone, didn't she?

"Lucky," Lulu took a breath, "I talked to Carly this afternoon. She said I should take a pregnancy test. So I did."

Lucky looked on expectantly.

"I'm pregnant."

* * *

Sonny sat at his desk, contemplating what he'd say to Kristina. He had already sent out orders to protect Olivia and Lulu, but Kristina was different. She was his _daughter_.

That was when someone knocked on the door.

"Come in," muttered Sonny gruffly. The door opened and Jason entered.

"I have people stationed outside Olivia's building, in hiding of course. Dante's still trying to get a hold of Lulu." Jason reported.

Sonny nodded. "Dante just called me to say that he's planning on meeting Lulu at five."

"Where?"

"He didn't say." Sonny stood up and opened his desk drawer. Inside was a gun. "I'm about to call Kristina. Milo's going to pick her up and drive her over here. Then I'm sending her to the island. She can pack tonight, and by this time tomorrow she'll be gone."

"Okay. I'll go then." Jason patted Sonny on the shoulder and headed for the door.

"Hey, Jason?" Sonny said. Jason stopped and turned around. "Thanks. For everything."

"No problem."

As soon as Jason had left, Sonny picked up the phone and called Kristina. Alexis picked up on the second ring.

"Hello?" she said.

"Hi, Alexis. Uh, something has come up concerning Dante, and it could put Kristina in danger."

"I'm coming," sighed Alexis.

"Actually, Milo is on his way over."

"Fine."

After Alexis had hung up, Sonny looked at the gun. Ralph had to die. Tonight.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

"So, what do you need to tell us?" The door to Sonny's office opened, and in walked Alexis and Kristina. They both looked a little annoyed. But just as they were sitting down, the door opened again, and Dante entered.

"Dante!" Kristina said happily. She jumped up and hugged her brother.

"Hey, Krissy." Dante smiled before turning to Sonny. "I got your call. Do you want me to explain everything?"

Sonny nodded.

"Wait, I thought you were looking for Lulu. Did you find her?" Kristina asked.

Sighing, Dante sat down in the chair opposite Alexis and Kristina. Sonny remained standing next to his son.

"I've been looking for Lulu all day," began Dante, "but she called to set up a date for five at the pier. I'll talk to her then. But right now, I need to explain some things to the two of you. Right now, this man named Ralph Maszen is stalking me. I put him in jail for murder a few years ago, and he broke out. Now he wants revenge. For the past week or so, Ralph's been keeping in contact with be through notes. To make a long story short, he wants me to pay, and Lulu, my mom, and you, Kristina, are at risk."

"Is that why you're looking for Lulu?" questioned Kristina quietly. Her eyes were full of worry.

Dante nodded. "Yeah. Today, Ralph left me a note saying that he's going to hurt her tonight. My mom, Olivia, will be next." He took a breath. "Then you, Krissy."

That was when Sonny intervened. "Dante and I both agree that we need to get you out of the country, Kristina."

Alexis scowled. "What? No! She's my daughter too, and I want to have some say in what happens next."

"If you want her to be safe, she needs to get out of the country tonight," said Dante calmly. "That's the best thing for everyone."

"That's the only way to keep her away from Dante's psychotic stalker," added Sonny. "I can make her disappear. No one will know where she went, especially not Ralph."

Alexis tried to say something, but was interrupted by Sonny, who in turn was interrupted by Dante. They began shouting at each other while Kristina sat in the midst of it all. She stood up with tears in her eyes.

"Just-just be quiet! Everyone," pleaded Kristina loudly. Her father, mother, and brother all stopped arguing immediately and looked over at her. With a quivering voice, Kristina continued, "I should have a say in what happens too. I mean, this is me we're talking about! And don't forget about Olivia. What if Ralph makes her disappear, like Lulu, because me running off makes him angry? My life isn't the only one at risk!"

"I get that you're worried," said Sonny, "but this is a matter of your safety. As your father, I need to do what is best for you."

"But what about what's best for Lulu and Olivia?" cried Kristina. "If Ralph doesn't get Lulu tonight, he'll surely get her tomorrow. Especially with my absence as another motive." She walked over to the window and put her forehead to the cold glass.

"Oh, honey," Alexis stood up and made her way over to her daughter. "You've always thought about others before yourself, and that's admirable. Really, it is. But the time comes when you need to look after your well being before that of others. That time is now. Sweety, you don't have a choice."

"Then it's settled," stated Sonny. "Jason and I will have you out of the country by tomorrow. Can I send Milo for you around one?"

"In the morning?" Alexis raised her eyebrows. "Isn't that a little extreme?"

Dante sighed. "We can't take any chances with Ralph. He's a menace, plain and simple."

"Fine," muttered Kristina. "Just find Lulu, okay?"

"Okay," agreed Dante. He hugged his sister and watched her and Alexis leave the room. That left him and Sonny alone.

"I'll call Jason," Sonny said, breaking the silence. "The private jet will be ready to leave by one. This freak won't touch Kristina."

Dante nodded and headed for the door. "Good." He checked his watch and sighed. "It's already twenty to five. I need to get to the pier to meet Lulu."

"Good luck," was Sonny's sincere reply as Dante left the house.

Once outside, Dante could just _feel_ that something was off. Cautiously, he walked over to his car and circled it twice. He couldn't see anything out of the ordinary, but the feeling was still strong.

"What could it be?" Dante whispered to himself while stepping into the driver's seat. But then he saw it. Lying on the dashboard was a picture of the pier. The same pier that he was meeting Lulu at that night.

Dread coursed through his veins, and his heart was beating at an uncomfortably fast pace. Dante took a deep breath and flipped the picture over. Sure enough, there was a printed note.

_Dante, Dante, Dante. When will you ever learn? I'm always a step ahead of you, and therefore I'm planning on kidnapping Lulu at the pier, shortly before five. Oh, and guess what time it is now? I almost feel bad for you. Almost. How does it feel to know the person you love most in the world is about to be murdered, and you can't get there fast enough? Too bad for you. _

_~ Ralph_

Never in his life had Dante driven faster.

* * *

Immediately after his son had driven out of sight, Sonny got in his car and put the key in the ignition. His gun was on the passenger's seat. Ever since Dante had mentioned meeting Lulu at the pier on the night Ralph was going to hurt her, he'd been suspicious. And if the speed Dante had driven away at was any indication, Sonny was going to need his gun very, very soon.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

Lucky sat in silent shock for a moment, staring at Lulu across the table. His sister, Lulu Spencer, was pregnant. She was going to have a _baby._ Truthfully, Lucky wasn't sure how to take the news.

"Lucky?" prompted Lulu nervously. "Say something. Please."

"I-I'm happy for you?" It sounded like a question. Lulu sighed and looked at her lap, while Lucky shrugged.

"Lu, I really don't know what to say. I thought you wouldn't want a baby, especially with you and the baby's father tangled up in this Ralph mess. Why would you let this happen now, of all times?" Lucky spoke in a soft, questioning voice.

Lulu lifted her gaze to meet Lucky's, and she felt tears brimming in her eyes. "We weren't planning on having a baby, Lucky. Dante and I were careful. And it only happened once. I just don't know what to do. Do you think Ralph might leave me alone if he knows I'm pregnant?" She couldn't keep a sudden feeling of hope from leaking into her voice.

Lucky shook his head sadly. "No. Don't let him know, because Dante will go the extra mile to protect his kid. Ralph knows that. Anybody would know that."

Nodding solemnly in agreement, Lulu shrugged and said, "It really doesn't matter. I'm already in over my head, so it doesn't make much of a difference how deep. I'll be fine." She forced a smile and checked her watch. "Oh, wow. It's already twenty-five minutes to five. I'm meeting Dante at the pier in less than half an hour."

"Do you want me to go with you?" asked Lucky while he stood up to hug his sister.

"Nah, I'm fine. Anyways, it isn't like Dante's made any mistakes. Ralph won't be coming after me anytime soon."

"Okay." The siblings embraced and Lulu left the bar.

About five minutes later, Lucky's phone began to vibrate. The caller id displayed Dante Falconeri's name and number, so he picked up immediately.

"Any news on Ralph?" questioned Lucky before Dante could say anything.

Dante didn't answer the question, but instead responded with one of his own. "Are you with Lulu?"

"She just left. I'm at Jake's, and we were talking about..._stuff._ Anyways, she went to meet you at the pier."

Lucky heard Dante let out an exasperated sigh. "Earlier this morning, I got a note saying that Ralph was planning on killing Lulu. Tonight. I've been trying to get a hold of her all day, and the only time I did she hung up on me. I was planning on telling her when we meet at the pier. But Ralph knows."

"Oh God," whispered Lucky. He stood up with his phone still pressed against his ear and jogged to his car. "I'm going to drive down to the pier right now." He jammed the key into the ignition. "Anyways, why do you think Ralph knows?"

"I was just leaving Sonny's house, and there was a picture of the pier on my dashboard. It was a note from Ralph."

"Keep explaining," muttered Lucky through clenched teeth as he pulled out of the lot and onto the road.

"It says that he knows about the pier. About five. He said he'd get there first."

Lucky pushed harder on the gas pedal. "How fast can you get there?"

"Maybe ten minutes? I got tied up with Kristina. But you're closer. When you get there, throw Lulu in the car and take her to the station. Do whatever it takes to keep her alive."

Without responding, Lucky hung up and called Lulu's number.

"Hello?" Lucky had never been happier to hear his sister's voice. Ever.

"Hi, Lu. It's me. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say."

"Okay."

"Ralph knows you're at the pier. He's going to kidnap you tonight. Hide nearby, and stay on the phone with me. I'm on my way."

Lulu was breathing heavily. "What about Dante?"

"Hide!" Shouted Lucky into the phone. "Hide, and I'll tell you."

"Okay. I'm looking."

* * *

Sonny heard his phone ringing just as he lost sight of Dante's car. The display showed that the caller was Jason.

"What is it, Jason?" said Sonny. He had the phone pressed to his ear with his shoulder, and kept both hands on the steering wheel.

"I'm at your house right now," started Jason, "but you're obviously not here. I asked Max and he just said that the last thing he saw was you speeding away after Dante. What's going on?"

"Dante's trying to save Lulu, because Ralph is going to kidnap her tonight. He's trying to reach her before Ralph does. I'm worried about my son. What if it ends in a shootout?"

"Does Dante have a gun on him?"

Sonny swerved into a different lane. A few drivers behind him honked loudly. "I don't know. But I'm following Dante now, so that I can work as his back up at the pier. If this psycho so much as points a gun at my son, he'll be dead so fast he won't know what hit him."

"Do you want me and some other guys to meet you at the pier?" Jason sounded concerned.

"No," replied Sonny firmly. "Dante is my son. Lulu is Luke's daughter. I need to do this on my own."

**Author's Note - Hey everyone! Thanks so much for reading this story and leaving your feedback. I'll be posting the Ralph-Lulu-Dante showdown very soon; I promise :)**


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Lulu had been standing on the end of the pier when her phone rang. The serenity and peace she had felt for a fleeting moment left her instantly.

It was 4:45 pm.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Lu. It's me. Listen carefully to what I'm about to say." Lucky's voice was extremely urgent, and Lulu thought she heard a chorus of car horns in the background.

"Okay."

"Ralph knows you're at the pier. He's going to kidnap you tonight. Hide nearby, and stay on the phone with me. I'm on my way."

_Oh. My. God. _Lulu's head was spinning. "What about Dante?

"Hide! Hide, and I'll tell you." Now Lucky was shouting.

"Okay. I'm looking." Lulu began frantically glancing around the area. She thought she was going to cry out in relief when she saw the large crate. "There-there's a crate. I'm hiding behind it."

"Good. I'm five minutes away. Keep the phone on, but don't say anything. If someone tries to grab you, scream out any physical description about them that you can. Understood?"

"Yeah." Taking deep, quiet breaths, Lulu crawled behind the crate which was in front of a brick wall. She curled up in a ball and placed her cell phone next to her on the ground. For a couple minutes, Lulu remained like that. But then a familiar voice called out her name.

"Lulu? Are you here?" _Oh no! _Lulu was panicking now. It was Kristina. One of Ralph's targets. "Lulu? Lulu!" Kristina sounded semi-hysterical. "Lulu, please answer me-"

Something was wrong. Why had Kristina cut off so sharply? Lulu tried to control her breathing, and took a cautious peek over the crate. She gasped.

A strong, tall man had grabbed Kristina. He had his left arm tightly around her waist, and a gun had been shoved into her side. Kristina was biting her lip to keep from crying out.

"Well, Miss Lulu. Come out, come out, wherever you are. Otherwise I shoot you're little friend here." The voice was deep and gruff. It was Ralph's.

"Lucky," Lulu breathed into the phone, "Ralph has Kristina. He's gonna shoot her if I don't show myself."

* * *

Lucky was swerving in and out of lanes, driving as fast as he could without actually colliding with another car. That was before Lulu's voice floated up from the phone on his passenger's seat.

Ralph had Kristina.

Lucky grabbed the phone and held it to his ear. "Lulu, _do not do anything_. It's a trick." He spoke forcefully, but without confidence.

"No," was Lulu's swift reply.

It was too late, and Lucky new it.

* * *

"C'mon, Lulu. Hang on," muttered Dante out loud. He felt more determined than he'd ever felt in his life. As he swerved into another lane while checking his rear-view mirror, Dante could have sworn he saw Sonny's car driving close behind. But there wasn't time to make sure.

* * *

"Come on, Miss Lulu. Do you really want me to shoot Kristina? Imagine how much pain she'd be in, with a bullet lodged in her stomach. And she's so young, too. What a shame." Ralph was laughing.

"Pl-please," begged Kristina through tears that Lulu couldn't see, "don't hurt me."

"Then ask your little friend to show herself."

"No! Lulu, don't. Dante loves you too much," cried Kristina. Ralph just let out something that sounded like a cackle.

Lulu couldn't take it anymore. "No, Lucky. I have to help Krissy. Ralph's tall, muscular, and he has dirty blonde hair. I think he has dark eyes, but I can't be sure. Lucky, I love you. Remember that."

"No," said Lucky again, his voice extremely forceful and pained. "Don't you dare, Lesley Lu."

Lulu ignored him. Taking a deep breath, she crawled out from behind the crate and stood up. "Hi. My name is Lulu Spencer. It's a pleasure to meet you. Now let. Kristina. Go."

**Author's Note - I absolutely love writing this story! If you guys love reading it just as much as I love writing it, then I am one lucky (and happy) girl. Thanks again for all the support and reviews!!**


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Kristina's eyes went wide, as though she was extremely surprised that Lulu had actually given herself up. But despite what she felt, Kristina said nothing.

"Wow, Kristina. Someone just got lucky," sing-songed Ralph. Now that Lulu had a better look at his face, she could recognize it from the 'escaped convict' posters that hung all over the police station.

"I'm here now, Ralph. Just let her go." Lulu tried to keep her voice strong, but a slight quiver was evident.

"If only it were that easy," sighed Dante's Franco.

"Let. Me. Go!" shouted Kristina, as she attempted to elbow her attacker in the gut. Ralph's face contorted in anger and pain, and he threw Kristina to the ground. She fell hard, landing on her side with a gasp, and Ralph pointed the gun at her chest.

"Don't make another sound, or I swear I'll shoot both you and Miss Lulu. Understood?"

Kristina nodded and remained frozen in place.

Cautiously, Lulu took a step towards Ralph. Immediately, he turned the gun on her, and she came to a halt five or so feet away from Kristina.

"This is how it's going to go," said Ralph, the laughter gone from his voice. Now he was all business. "I only need Lulu, but you Kristina? You might come in handy. So I'll give you a choice. Either come with the two of us at gunpoint, or let me shoot you right now."

"I'll go," whispered Kristina hurriedly. She climbed to her feet and allowed Ralph to grab her wrist and hold the gun to her neck.

"And you, Miss Lulu? Oh, first I should probably warn you that if you disobey me, I'll shoot Dante's sister here, so..." Even though Ralph was giving her two options, Lulu knew in her heart that there was only one.

"Okay. Fine. Where are we going?" Ralph hadn't picked up on it yet, but there was a hint of hope in Lulu's voice. She knew that Lucky was on his way, and all she had to do was stall for a few more minutes.

"That's for me to know, and for you to find out. Now let's go." Smiling, Ralph used the gun to motion for Lulu to walk over to him. He was getting more and more confident by the second.

Lulu bit her lip and didn't move. "But Ralph, I think I have a right to know," she whined. Kristina squinted at Lulu, as if to ask what the hell she was doing.

Ralph kept the gun pointed at Lulu. "I don't have an issue with killing the both of you right here, right now. That will definitely tear Dante apart, don't you think?"

Gulping, Lulu took a slow, but deliberate step forwards. She only had to kill a couple more minutes, and then Lucky would arrive. He would be armed. But what if she didn't survive a couple more minutes?

"Faster," growled Ralph.

Lulu took another step. And another. She was only a couple of feet away from Ralph now.

"Any day," he muttered, tapping his finger lightly against the trigger.

Another step. Ralph was about to reach out for Lulu when he froze. Lulu spun around and almost died of relief when she saw it was Lucky. He was pointing his gun at Ralph, who was cursing under his breath.

"Put the weapon down, or I'll have to shoot you. Just drop the gun," coaxed Lucky. His face showed no emotion other than pure, raw hatred.

Lulu had begun to move away from Ralph when she felt a gun press into her back.

"You're not going anywhere," he declared. "Now, who are you?" The question was directed at Lucky.

"Lucky Spencer."

"Oh yes, Lulu's brother the cop. Now, Lucky, I'd lower your gun if I was you, or one of these two girls will pay the price." Ralph stepped up alongside Lulu, pulling Kristina behind him. He placed the gun against Lulu's neck, causing her to breathe heavily. A tear escaped her eye.

_I need to be strong. I need to be strong, _Lulu reminded herself. She risked a glance at Kristina, who was silently crying. Her eyes were read, and a few tears streamed down her cheeks.

"Dante's going to be coming any minute now, along with the rest of the PCPD," bluffed Lucky smoothly. "It would be in your best interests to just give up now. If someone gets hurt, the charges against you will get a lot worse."

Ralph laughed. It was a cruel, cold-hearted laugh. "Who cares how bad the charges are? I already have life in prison for killing my wife. It can't get much worse than that. I have nothing to lose."

Lucky shook his head. "But why hurt innocent people?"

"Isn't it obvious?" spat Ralph. His face had gone from relatively playful to downright furious. "I want Dante Falconeri to pay. And killing him just won't cut it. I want to make him suffer. Just like he made me."

"He was just doing his job! You don't need to hurt him," cried Lulu without thinking. She regretted her outburst instantly.

"But him _just doing his job _ruined my life!" roared Ralph. He let go of Kristina and grabbed Lulu's wrist, pulling her into him. Before Lulu knew what had happened, Ralph's muscular arm was wrapped around her neck, and the gun was against her head.

She gasped desperately for breath, and managed to say, "Let...me...go..." Lulu's head was spinning.

"Let go of her!" shouted Lucky, raising his gun and aiming at Ralph. Lulu gasped again, and instinctively wrapped one arm around her stomach to protect the unborn baby inside. With her other arm, she attempted to push her attacker away, but the effort was wasted. Ralph was strangling her. She couldn't breathe.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," said Ralph, eyeing the gun. "You might hit Lulu. Do you want that on your conscience?"

Lulu's eyelids fluttered and closed. Her curled blonde hair fanned out over her face and Ralph's arm.

"No!" shouted Lucky, taking a step towards his sister. At the same time, Kristina tried to make a run for it, but Ralph turned his gun on her. She froze and swallowed hard.

"You're not going anywhere," he announced, tightening his hold on Lulu. She wasn't gasping anymore. It was hard to tell if she was breathing at all.

And there was nothing Lucky could do about it without getting someone shot.

**Author's Note - Hey guys! I thought that I'd just add a couple of spoilers to the end of this chapter, so everyone has an idea of what's going to happen in the next chapter (or so). Thanks again for reading and reviewing!**

_IN THE NEXT CHAPTER (OR TWO)..._

_~ TWO PEOPLE WILL BE SHOT_

_~ ONE PERSON WILL BE FATALLY INJURED_

_~ DANTE AND SONNY WILL BOTH ARRIVE AT THE PIER IN TIME TO WITNESS SOMETHING..._


	21. Chapter 21

****

Author's Note - Here's the chapter where Dante arrives. Yay! It isn't very long, but I promise that the next one will be longer. Thanks again for reading, and I'll try my hardest to update tomorrow!

Chapter 21

Kristina remained where she was standing; Ralph's gun pointed at her, and tried to hold back her tears. She watched helplessly as Lulu's eyes closed, and could see her assailant's bottom lip curl up into a cruel smile. Knowing that she couldn't just stand there and let Lulu die, she cried out, "Stop! You're killing her. Let her go and take me. P-please," Kristina was begging.

Ralph looked down at Lulu, who was completely still in his arms, and let go. She fell in a heap at his feet.

With a pained grunt, Lucky took aim at Ralph. He was about to pull the trigger when Kristina was suddenly pushed into the line of fire. She squealed and covered her face when she saw Lucky, but he pulled away in time. Slowly, he lowered his gun. Ralph just laughed.

"Go ahead, Lucky. Come and get me**."**

* * *

Dante slammed on the breaks when he had driven as close as was possible to the pier. After grabbing the gun on his passenger's seat, he leapt out and ran as fast as he could the rest of the way.

As he got closer to where he was supposed to meet Lulu, Dante could swear that he heard someone screaming. Then it turned into sobbing. A million thoughts raced through his mind; _did he get there in time? Who was crying? Was Lulu alright?_

All he had to do now was round one more corner. Then he'd emerge in the midst of whatever chaos was occurring on the pier.

"Stop! You're killing her. Let her go and take me. P-please," he could hear Kristina pleading. _Kristina._ Dante started to shake with anger that was threatening to overwhelm him. Taking a deep breath to help compose himself, he peeked briefly around the corner.

What Dante saw shocked, enraged, and terrified him all at once. His little sister was crying inconsolably, held at gunpoint. His girlfriend, the person he loved above all else, was lying unconscious on the ground. His friend, and Lulu's brother, was being forced to watch it all unfold before him.

This couldn't be happening.

Filled with determination and pure hatred for Ralph, Dante threw himself around the corner and held up his gun.

"Leave. Them. Alone!" Dante was standing to the left of Lucky, shortly behind. The words he had directed at Ralph dripped with malice.

Lucky spun around, his eyes wide and fearful. Dante only let his gaze linger there for a moment before turning to glare at Ralph. The pathetic excuse for a man was _smiling._

"There you are, Mr Falconeri! Thanks for joining us. Things weren't supposed to happen this way, with you catching me in the act, but I'll make the best of it." Ralph pushed Kristina forward and turned to look at Lulu's collapsed frame. "Kristina, go see your big brother. I've decided to take care of Miss Lulu tonight, and her alone. You can thank me later." Slowly, the gun that had previously been pointed at Kristina was turned on Lulu. Kristina flashed Dante a worried look before taking a step forwards.

"Come here, Dante," whispered Ralph harshly. Dante took a few steps forward and motioned for his sister. Kristina took a few unsure steps of her own, then paused and looked behind her. Ralph kept his gun on Lulu. A sob escaped her lips as she ran behind Dante, who stretched out his arm protectively.

"Why are you doing this? To hurt me?" shouted Dante. "Well, you know what? You already have. The first time I saw Lulu cry because of you, my heart broke."

Ralph met Dante's gaze with an unreadable expression.

"Just shoot me now," he continued with a glance at Lulu. The state she was in gave him the power to continue. "Just shoot me now, and this will all be over. Lulu won't have to die because of me." Dante's heart was beating as fast as it ever had. The sight of Lulu laying there, her eyes closed and her hair fanned out around her, was what prompted him to do what he did next.

Raise his gun and take aim. Dante was tired of playing games.

At the same time, Ralph pointed his gun at Lulu. "No," he said firmly.

Less than five seconds later, two shots were fired.

**Author's Note - here are a few spoilers for the next chapter. Hope they make you even more excited to read it!!!**

_~ Not everything is as it seems..._

_~ Sonny arrives with a gun (and you know what happens when Sonny hates someone, and just happens to have a loaded gun with him)_

_~ Dante's world is turned upside down_


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Dante's car had been driven half way onto the sidewalk, and his door was wide open. The keys were still in the ignition.

This was how Sonny found it.

When he arrived at the pier, Sonny parked messily next to his son's car. He, too, left the keys in the ignition and the door open behind him. He, too, ran towards the pier, gun in hand, and paused behind the last corner.

And when he glanced briefly around it, seeing Ralph pointing his gun at an unconscious Lulu while Dante pleaded for her life, Sonny didn't think.

He acted.

This caused several things to happen simultaneously.

Sonny rounded the corner, his gun stretched out in front of him, and fired at Ralph.

Ralph, who didn't see him, put his finger against the trigger.

Sonny's aim was bang-on, and the bullet sailed almost effortlessly into Ralph's head.

But when Ralph was hit, his body tensed up, causing his finger to push against the trigger as he fell.

Lulu had been hit.

Dante remained frozen, his own weapon still held out in front of him. After a couple of seconds, his fingers went slack, and the gun fell to the ground. Still, Dante didn't move.

Lucky was the first person that took action. He screamed Lulu's name and ran over to his sister, kneeling down on the ground next to her. Dante saw it unfold before him, but everything seemed to be so _distant._

Behind him, Kristina collapsed on the ground in sobs. Sonny walked over to her from where he'd been standing on Dante's right, his phone held to his ear. Dante didn't hear what he was saying. He could no longer hear anything. But for whatever reason, he felt extreme anger towards Sonny for making a call at a time like this.

Sonny hung up his phone, said something to Kristina, and ran over to Lucky's side.

That's when Lucky shouted something that snapped Dante out from the state he'd be in. "Help her! She's pregnant!"

Dante felt his entire world come back into focus at that statement. Suddenly, he could only think about Lulu, and keeping her alive.

"Lulu! Lulu, can you hear me?" Dante was at Lulu's side without really knowing how he'd gotten there. "Lulu!" He cried hysterically when she didn't respond. That was when he saw Lucky holding his jacket against Lulu's upper arm, while also remembering that Lulu wasn't breathing.

"She was shot in the arm," whispered Sonny upon noticing where Dante was looking.

"She isn't bleeding too heavily," added Lucky, who was still applying pressure.

Dante didn't respond. Instead, he leaned down over Lulu and checked her pulse. It was definitely there. All the lifesaving training he'd gotten throughout his life came back to him at that moment.

_Head tilt, chin lift, _Dante thought as he leaned Lulu's head back.

_Pinch nose and administer two breaths. _Dante's lips came down over Lulu's for probably the thousandth time, but never had it been so important.

_Put ear to victim's mouth and watch to see if their chest is rising. _It wasn't.

_Wait ten seconds. Two more breaths. _Now Lulu's chest had begun to move up and down, and Dante could feel her warm breath on his ear.

"Lulu, can you hear me?" he asked while a tear rolled down his cheek. Lucky continued to apply pressure to the gunshot wound, but a smile spread across his face. That was because Lulu's eyes had opened ever so slightly, and she was looking up at Dante.

"Dan...te...," she murmured weakly.

Dante's face lit up. So did Sonny's. He was kneeling next to Lulu with Kristina, who was still crying.

"C'mon, Lulu. It's okay. I'm right here, and you're gonna be fine. Just keep doing what you're doing, and stay with me." Dante's voice was gentle, but it hinted slightly at urgency.

Kristina crawled forwards and put her hand on Lulu's. "Th-thank y-you," she whispered through her tears. "If i-it weren't f-f-for y-you, I w-would be d-dead." Kristina sniffled, and Sonny rubbed her back.

Lulu's lips turned up a tiny bit at the corners. Then she cringed in pain. Dante brushed some hair out of her face, and looked concernedly up at Lucky.

Sirens had become audible in the distance. Sonny stood up quickly, and leaned over Ralph's collapsed body. Lucky glanced up at him while saying, "Is that evil bastard dead?"

"He looks pretty dead to me."

"Good," added Dante, "Now this can all be over."

"Dante," Lulu said in a whisper. She turned her gaze on the man leaning over her.

"Yeah? Yeah, what is it, Lu?" Dante asked calmly.

"I...I'm...preg...nant," Lulu managed to get the words out before her eyes shut.

Up until that moment, Dante had forgotten all about her pregnancy. But the paramedics had arrived with stretchers before he could respond.

"What's her condition?" asked one of the paramedics. She was tall and well-built.

"She was strangled for a minute or more before her assailant let her go, and by then she was unconscious. After that she was shot in the arm." Lucky rattled off what had happened, and it broke Dante's heart. _Ralph had strangled Lulu before trying to kill her. _Dante wished he could have strangled Ralph before his death, just so he knew what it felt like to be completely helpless.

The paramedic bent down over Lulu, and another one brought over the stretcher. "Okay, honey. Can you hear me?"

There was no response.

"She was conscious a couple seconds ago," cried Kristina. "She was talking to Dante."

Both paramedics looked at Dante while he spoke. "I administered rescue breathing, and after two rounds she seemed fine. She started to breathe on her own, and even talk weakly." Dante looked down at Lulu, who was still breathing, but had fallen into unconsciousness. He bit his lip and held back tears.

The paramedics nodded and carefully lifted Lulu onto the stretcher. Dante and Lucky followed.

"Are you two riding in the ambulance with us?" asked the other paramedic – a sturdy looking man.

Dante nodded. "I'm her boyfriend, and he's her brother."

"Okay."

Both men climbed into the ambulance and sat down alongside Lulu. Dante took her hand, and held on tight. He wasn't going to lose her, not now, not ever.

* * *

Back at the pier, another ambulance had arrived for Ralph. Sonny stood off to the side with Kristina, trying his best to comfort her even though he knew that at this point, it was impossible.

"Dad?" she asked quietly, looking up at Sonny.

"Uh huh?"

Kristina sniffled and watched as Ralph was carried, by stretcher, into the ambulance. "Are you going to go to jail for killing him?"

"No," replied Sonny. "It was self defence. He would have killed Lulu."

"Okay," Kristina hugged her father tighter, and let him direct her to his car.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

Dante held on tight to Lulu's hand the entire ride to the hospital. He and Lucky watched as the paramedic removed Lucky's bloody jacket from Lulu's gunshot wound and began to examine it.

"How bad?" asked Lucky nervously. When Lulu had first been shot, the bleeding hadn't been too severe. He could only hope that that meant her wound wasn't too deep.

"The bullet could have done a lot worse, that's for sure." The paramedic taped a large white bandage to the wound. "It looks to me like the bullet entered at an angle, and came out the other side very close to the edge of her arm. It didn't hit any arteries, and didn't do any severe damage. She probably won't need surgery, because, like I said, the damage is minimal and the bullet is no longer in her arm."

"Thank God," whispered Lucky more to himself than to anyone else.

"Uh, doc?" Dante looked at the paramedic who had pulled out a stethoscope.

"Yes?"

"Lulu's pregnant." After saying the words, he gulped.

The paramedic looked up at Dante sadly. "You're asking if the baby will be alright, and I really don't know. Lulu didn't lose too much blood, so that won't be a problem, but the fact that for over a minute she received no air could be dangerous. We'll do what we can. "

Dante nodded and let out a shaky breath. That was when the ambulance came to a stop, and the doors at the back opened. They were at the hospital.

Lulu was carried out on her stretcher and rushed into the hospital by three paramedics. Upon entering, Dr. Webber gave instructions that neither Dante nor Lucky understood, and Lulu was moved into the emergency room.

Dante tried to push aside the flimsy curtain separating him and Lulu, but Dr. Webber stopped him.

"Dante, I know that you're worried, but getting in the way of the doctors saving her life won't be of any help. Just stay in the waiting room with Lucky. I'm going to contact Lulu's other family." Dr. Webber patted Dante on the back and made his way over to the nearest phone.

"Dante, come over here," said Lucky, motioning at the empty chair next to him.

Dante did what he was asked, and sat down. His head was spinning, and the worry he felt was threatening to overpower him. But he needed to be strong for Lulu.

"She's gonna be okay," whispered Lucky. But it sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that delicate fact more than he was Dante. "The baby will be okay too."

"When did this happen?" asked Dante, turning to look at Lucky. "When did Lulu tell you that she was pregnant?"

"Earlier today," sighed Lucky. "She was an emotional wreck when we ran into each other. It was right before she was going to meet you at the pier."

"Was that when she was going to tell me?"

"I think." Lucky tilted his head up and looked at the ceiling.

"I can't believe this," whispered Dante. "I can't believe that I put her through so much pain, and on top of it all, she was pregnant."

Lucky looked at Lulu's boyfriend, who was wringing his hands in anger. "Dante, this is not your fault."

Just then, the doors to the hospital flew open behind them and in came Ralph on a stretcher. Dr. Webber was yelling instructions at the paramedics, who wheeled Ralph into an emergency room. It was the one right next to Lulu's.

"So he isn't dead," stated Lucky, his voice hinting at disappointment.

But Dante hadn't heard. He was already standing at the entrance to Lulu's little room, watching the doctors swarming around her. She had a tube that came out of her nose and wrapped around her face, and was connected to a machine. Dante recognized the machine from his time in the hospital.

"Dante? You okay?" Dr. Robin Scorpio emerged from the room in her scrubs, looking at Dante with eyes full of concern.

"Yeah, yeah I'm fine," Dante put a hand to his forehead. He sighed and added, "How's Lulu?"

Robin peered back into the room at Lulu and smiled slightly. "Things are looking pretty good, considering. She just came to, and it was you she was asking for."

Immediately, Dante turned to walk into the room, but Robin stopped him. "I'm sorry Dante, but you can't go in there. The other doctors are ordering some tests and examining her injuries. It would be best if you just stayed out of the way."

Even though Dante wanted to see Lulu more than anything, he nodded in agreement with Robin. The last thing he wanted to do was hurt Lulu any more than he already had.

"Do you want to tell me what happened?" Robin pulled off her gloves and threw them in the garbage can. She then directed Dante away from the emergency room. They ended up on a bench in a nearby hallway.

"This guy, Ralph Maszen, he killed his wife. It was four or so years ago. I was the guy who took him and down and helped put him away for life." Dante looked at Robin, who was listening attentively.

"Go on."

"A week ago, maybe even longer, he broke out of prison. His goal was to make me suffer, just like he did. Up until today, Ralph would leave me notes and threaten to hurt Lulu, Kristina or Olivia if I didn't do what the note asked. It was today when he finally got bored and decided to take out Lulu. I got there right before he was going to shoot her, and then Sonny appeared out of nowhere. I don't really know what happened next." The severity of the situation was really sinking in now, and Dante's head was pounding.

"Well," began Robin, putting her hand on Dante's in a comforting manner, "Ralph was just admitted with a bullet wound to the head. His condition is requires difficult surgery, and his future is bleak at best. Did Sonny shoot him?"

"I don't know," replied Dante shaking his head. "Maybe? Everything felt like such a blur. And then Lulu was shot, and I could only think about keeping her alive."

"Well, you did a really good job of that. The paramedics said that someone administered rescue breathing, and I'm guessing it was you."

"Yeah, it was."

"Dante, by getting her breathing again you could have saved your unborn child's life. We're running some tests, but all we know is that if she hadn't started to breathe, the baby wouldn't have a chance. You did well." Robin smiled and patted Dante's hand. "By the looks of it, Lulu will make a full recovery without needing surgery."

Dante couldn't help but smile along with Robin.

"Let's go back and see if they'll let you see her," whispered Robin. She and Dante stood up together, and made their way down the hall. When the emergency room was in sight, Dante turned to Robin.

"Thanks Robin," he said. She smiled in return.

"I'll be right back." Robin disappeared into Lulu's room while Dante stood at the curtain. That's when he heard it.

"One, two, three, clear!" There was a thud. "Recharge!"

The noise was coming from the room next to Lulu's, so Dante moved slightly to the left to get a better view.

"One, two, three, clear!" Yelled Dr. Webber again. He had the defibrillator, and was trying to shock Ralph's heart back into motion. By the looks of it, this wasn't working too great.

"Recharge!" While Epiphany was following Dr. Webber's orders, there was a long beep and then nothing. The room fell completely silent.

"He's gone." Dr. Webber shook his head and nodded at Epiphany. "There's nothing more we can do."

Dante remained standing where he was, staring intensely at Ralph's dead body. It was over. For real. It felt as though a giant wait had been lifted off his chest.

"Dante!" Kristina had just shown up, and came running over to where Dante was standing. He reached out and hugged his little sister tightly.

"How are you feeling?" asked Dante with a feeble smile. Kristina looked at the floor and sniffled.

Actually, everything was _far_ from over.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

"So what the hell happened?" screeched Tracy, Lulu's stepmother, as she arrived at the hospital along with Luke, Nikolas, and Ethan. The group had obviously spotted Dante, Sonny, Lucky, and Kristina seated in the waiting area, and made their way over immediately. Dante smiled sarcastically at Lucky and stood up, facing Tracy head on.

"I arrived at the pier where I was supposed to meet Lulu for a date, and she was lying on the ground at gunpoint. This crazy guy was threatening to shoot her and Krissy, who just happened to be there, but before I could do anything Sonny showed up." Dante took a breath and kept going as Tracy tapped her foot impatiently. "He shot the crazy guy, and as said crazy guy fell, his fingers tensed, causing the gun to go off. Lulu was shot, but the bullet did no severe damage."

"I thought you said you were going to take care of the situation," said Luke calmly, but the anger dripping from his words was evident. That was when Lucky stepped in.

"Dante did everything he could. I was actually there earlier, and the crazy guy was strangling Lulu. I couldn't do anything though, because Kristina had a gun pointed at her head, so I stood in place completely helpless. If Dante hadn't come when he had and distracted the crazy guy like he did, Lulu would have been shot in the chest. Thank God Sonny arrived and shot the guy first."

Tracy and Luke glanced at each other before turning back to the people in front of them.

"So _you_ were a part of this too?" Tracy asked Sonny with a scowl on her face.

Sonny, who was leaning back in his chair and staring at the ceiling, nodded.

"Thanks, man," said Luke as he walked over to Sonny and sat down next to him.

"Any time."

There was a pause while everyone let the information soak in, but Ethan broke the silence. "So, when can we see Lulu?"

Nikolas nodded. "Yeah. Have you seen her yet?" The question was directed at Dante.

"No. The doctors are still running some tests," replied Dante with a sigh. "Believe me, I've tried."

"Well I guess we'll be here for a while then," said Tracy in an annoyed tone. She sat down next to Lucky and began to leaf through a magazine.

While Nik and Ethan took seats of their own, Dante wandered off in the direction of the vending machine. He just needed some space to breathe. Why did Lulu's family have to be so _loud_? Without really thinking, he searched in his pocket for some spare change, dropped it into the machine, and chose a crispy rice square. When he'd retrieved it from the machine, Dante peeled back the wrapper and took a hungry bite. It had been _hours_ since he'd last eaten.

"Dante?" Dante turned around to see Robin standing behind him. She was smiling.

"Yeah?" His mouth was full of crisped rice, but he didn't care.

"You're allowed to see Lulu now. I haven't told any of her family, because I know them. They'll be all over her, and you won't have a chance to even get close." Robin pulled on Dante's wrist. "C'mon. She's been asking for you."

Dante could hardly contain his anticipation as he followed Robin down the hall, and snuck into Lulu's room after her. Only one doctor remained, and he left when Robin entered.

"I'll take it from here," Robin said.

Lulu was lying on her side, facing a large machine. Dante felt a lump in his throat when he saw the tubes which connected her to it. At first, Lulu didn't look up, but then Robin leaned down next to her.

"Lulu? You have a visitor." The words were spoken in a gentle, motherly way.

"Really?" Lulu said weakly. She rolled over and spotted Dante right away. Her face lit up instantaneously.

"Hey, beautiful." Dante pulled up a stool and sat down next to the bed. Robin flashed him a quick smile and left the room.

"Hi," whispered Lulu. Her face was pale and her voice feeble, but Dante had never loved her more. He reached out and took her hand. She squeezed as tightly as she could, which wasn't very tight at all.

"So, how are you doing?" Dante already knew that the answer wouldn't be good, but he felt obliged to ask anyways.

Lulu didn't respond at first. But after a pause, she said, "I'm fine."

"No. Lulu, you're not _fine_. So tell me how you really feel."

"Great," she replied sarcastically. "My arm is killing me, I feel like throwing up, and my stomach hurts. Oh, and have you noticed the bruises on my neck?"

Dante looked down for a moment and clenched his fist. He couldn't believe that this had happened to someone he loved so much, and it was all his fault.

As though she knew what Dante was thinking, Lulu said in a gentler voice, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you feel guilty. You did nothing wrong."

This pushed Dante over the edge. "But I am guilty!" he shouted. "This is my fault completely! If I-"

Lulu cut him off. "If you didn't what? Didn't put a guy in prison for murdering his wife? Then how would she get justice? Dante, you did the right thing. It's Ralph who made all the mistakes, and this is his fault, not yours. He strangled me. He shot me. He attempted to kill me. You were the one that did everything in your power to protect me!"

"But I didn't. I didn't protect you. And because of it, you were almost killed." At that moment, Dante just wanted to punch himself. He looked at Lulu, and saw tears running down her face and onto the pillow. How was it possible that he was making things even worse?

"Dante," she cried, "I love you, and I can't take it if you continue to beat yourself up for this. You did nothing wrong. All I want to do is get passed this whole mess with you at my side."

Dante took a breath and nodded. "Okay. I can do that." He bent down to Lulu's level and kissed her gently, cupping her cheeks in his hands.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I l-love y-you t-t-to," she managed to say through her tears. Dante smiled and wrapped his arms around her.

It was then that Lulu's entire family barged into the little room.

"Why the hell is she crying?" said Tracy with a hand on her hip. "Don't you dare hurt her any more than you already have."

Dante pulled away from Lulu and looked up at her family. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that this happened."

"It isn't his fault," said Lulu in exasperation. "Just leave him alone."

"Of course," muttered Tracy sarcastically.

Lucky pushed through the small crowd and ran over to Lulu. "Lu," he whispered while kneeling down on the floor next to Dante.

"Hi Lucky," she replied with a smile. "Thank you for finding me on the pier."

"I love you," was all Lucky said as he leaned in and hugged his sister tightly.

**Author's Note - hey everyone! I just wanted to say that the story will be winding to a close soon (I think), but there will be some kind of epilogue-type thing, too. I hope you guys like what's happening, and thanks again for the awesome reviews!!**


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Things had quieted down in Lulu's tiny room, so the doctors decided to move her. Since she had to stay in the hospital for a few more days, she was put in a regular sized hospital room with a view. She was gazing out the window while thinking of her family's visit.

Lulu's family had 'visited' her for what seemed like _hours_. She'd been a captive audience as each of them took a turn sitting next to her on the stool. Everyone spoke in that same gentle, almost fearful voice that people tended to use when speaking with victims, and Lulu had gotten tired of it quickly. When the last of them had left, Dante had re-entered.

"Hey. How're you feeling?" he'd asked. His voice, unlike that of the others, wasn't hesitant or fearful. To Lulu it had sounded sexy and strong.

"Better now that they're gone," she had said with a sigh. "Come sit with me."

Dante had obliged, seating himself on the little stool and talking to Lulu about all kinds of things – Ralph and her questionable pregnancy not among them. Eventually, Robin had come back and explained to them both that Lulu was to be moved into a more spacious room. That was when Dante had left for the night.

Now Lulu was all alone with her thoughts. But before she had a chance to recount her horrific evening, there was a knock on the door.

"Yeah?" she called out gladly. Any company right now would be better than none.

"Hi Lulu," Robin walked into the room and over to the bed. "How are you feeling?"

Lulu shrugged, sending a sharp pain through her upper arm. She cringed. "I think the pain killers are wearing off."

"Yeah, that's partly why I came," replied Robin as she began to fiddle with one of the machines. "I also wanted to give you some of your test results, and tell you what you're up against in the next few days."

"Okay." Lulu bit her lip nervously.

Robin picked up her clipboard from where she'd set it down on Lulu's bed before sitting down on the stool. After flipping through some papers, she looked Lulu directly in her eyes.

"Good news," she began, glancing briefly down at her sheet, "your arm won't require surgery. The bullet took some skin with it, but all you need is stitches. There will be a pretty nasty scar there, though."

"That's okay," said Lulu indifferently. The bullet wound wasn't her major cause of worry at the moment.

"Now, there's always the risk for infection, but I can safely say that your arm should heal relatively quick."

Lulu could tell that Robin was holding something back. The bad news. "Robin, what's the bad news?"

"Umm," Robin looked down at her sheet again. When she looked up, her eyes were wide and distressed. "Lulu, there's no easy way to tell you this."

At that comment, Lulu could feel her heart clench. She felt hysterical, and tears flooded her eyes. "Is – is it the baby? Please tell me it isn't dead. It can't be dead."

When Ralph was strangling her, and even before when he was threatening to shoot her, Lulu had realized how wonderful having a baby with Dante could really be. It wasn't like the last time – this time around she loved the baby's father more than anything else, and felt like they were ready for a baby; that she was ready for a baby. Lulu had come to accept the role a child could play in her life, and had started to like it. Now she couldn't believe that everything could end just like that.

Robin sighed. "The baby is alive, but things aren't looking too good."

"What does that mean?" cried Lulu, wrapping her arms around her stomach.

"If you and the baby can make it through tonight and tomorrow, then your pregnancy should continue without any issues. But we're going to have to wait and see."

Lulu nodded through her tears, and Robin placed a hand on her shoulder. "Lulu, whatever you do, don't give up fighting for your baby. If she's anywhere near as strong as you, then I think she'll pull through."

"Okay. I'll be strong."

Robin smiled and used her sleeve to wipe away a few stray tears from Lulu's cheek. "I'm gonna go now, but I'll check on you first thing tomorrow, 'kay?"

Lulu nodded again and Robin left the room. She shut the door behind her.

Now Lulu could cry as hard as she wanted to.

* * *

"Yeah Ma, he's dead." Dante was sitting on his couch, staring at the brick wall before him while talking to Olivia on the phone. He'd called her as soon as he arrived home from the hospital, and she had a motherly thing or two to say to her son.

"Dante, thank God. Is Lulu okay?" It sounded like Olivia was on the verge of tears.

"She got shot, but it isn't severe. She won't even need surgery. The problem is that Lulu was strangled first."

"Oh," cried Olivia with a sniffle. "But how will that affect her recovery?"

Dante took a breath. "Lulu's pregnant."

There was silence on the other end of the phone.

"Ma?" said Dante unsurely.

"The baby is yours?"

"Yeah."

Olivia's voice quivered. "Oh, sweet heart. I'm so sorry."

Dante could tell that his mom thought the baby had died. The truth was that he didn't know yet, and neither did Lulu. "The test results haven't come back yet, so we don't know if the baby's gone or not. I think we'll find out tomorrow."

"Okay. Do you want me to come over to your place to keep you company?" Olivia asked.

"Nah, it's fine. I think I'm gonna call the hospital to check up on Lulu."

"Alright, honey. I'll come by to see you tomorrow."

"See you then." Dante hung up and was about to dial the hospital's number when he had a better idea.

After grabbing his jacket and wallet from the chair by his door, Dante turned around and left the apartment.

* * *

Dante clutched the bag tight as he entered General Hospital. It was nine thirty, well past visiting hours, but he didn't care.

"Is Dr. Scorpio here?" asked Dante when he got to the front desk.

Epiphany turned to look at him and nodded. "Yeah, I think she is working until ten tonight. I'm not sure where you can find her though."

"Thank you." Dante turned around and walked over to the elevator. His plan had been to ask Robin to sneak him into Lulu's room, but if he couldn't find her, he'd just have to do it himself.

"Dante?" called out a familiar voice. Dante turned around and saw Robin standing behind him in the elevator. She was holding a clipboard, and he could see the name written across the top of the sheet – _LESLEY LU SPENCER._

Things had just gotten a lot easier.

"Robin, I need to ask you a favour," Dante said before Robin could leave the elevator.

"Sure." She backed up and allowed Dante to enter.

"Can you help sneak me into Lulu's room? I really need to talk to her." Dante could see Lulu's room number on Robin's sheet, so he pressed the button corresponding with the floor she was on, and the elevator began to move.

Robin looked a little uncomfortable. "Actually, I was just on my way down from seeing Lulu. She wasn't in very good shape, and I'm not sure she'd appreciate you seeing her that way."

Dante sighed. "Please? I'll leave if she asks me to."

The elevator made a beeping noise and the door slid open. The pair walked out into the hallway and in the direction of Lulu's room.

"Well," said Robin, clearly unsure of what do to, "fine. But I'm coming in with you, and if she tells you to go, I'll make sure you do."

"I promise," replied Dante with a smile as they came to a stop in front of Lulu's door. Robin placed a hand on Dante's arm to stop him.

"But first, I need to warn you about something," whispered Robin.

Dante felt his body freeze as he took in Robin's upset expression. "Is it the baby?" He found the courage to ask.

Robin nodded. "He or she is still alive, but it isn't looking good. The odds are against a happy ending."

"Okay," was all Dante could say. He took a deep breath, put on the most cheerful expression that he could given the circumstances, and entered Lulu's room.

**Author's Note - hey guys! I hope everyone is still liking the story :). Thanks again for the awesome reviews, and I'll try to update ASAP.**


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Lulu was curled in a ball on her side with her eyes squeezed shut. The lights were off, and she was trying to fall asleep in the comfortable hospital bed. Too bad her mind kept recounting details of her terrible evening, which made sleep impossible. A tear rolled down her cheek. Never in her life had she felt so alone.

That was when she heard a slight commotion outside her door. Part of Lulu wanted company more than anything, but the other part of her just wanted to curl up with the sheets over her head. She decided to do the latter. As soon as the heard the whispering stop and the door knob turn, Lulu pulled the top sheet over her head.

"Lu?" Dante's voice washed over her like a wave of comfort and safety. Now she just felt childish for hiding under the covers.

"Yeah?" Lulu whispered from her 'hiding' place. She heard footsteps as Dante approached her bed, and then her mattress sunk in slightly on one side when he sat down. At the same time, a hand was placed on the sheets, right where Lulu's shoulder was.

"Lulu, can you come out for a second? I'd much rather talk to your face than to a lump under the covers." Dante sounded so sweet and joking. It was like a breath of fresh air.

Lulu used her good arm to toss the sheets back, but remained curled up in a ball. She looked up at Dante expectantly, and noticed Robin behind him.

"Hi Robin," she managed to say in a weak and quiet voice.

"Hi Lulu," was Robin's motherly reply. She walked over to Lulu and brushed some hair off her tear-stained face. "Are you okay talking to Dante right now? He can always come back tomorrow when you're feeling better."

Lulu shook her head. "It's fine. Plus, I doubt that tomorrow I'll feel better. If anything I'll just feel worse, because everything will have really sunken in."

Robin smiled sadly. "Okay. Dante, you have half an hour. Lulu, I'll check on you tomorrow." She gave a little wave before leaving the room, clipboard in hand.

"I'm not gonna make very good company," said Lulu with a sigh while Dante played with her hair. She glanced up at him, and he shrugged.

"But I love you, so it doesn't matter." He leaned in and kissed Lulu on the forehead, then backed up and noticed the position she was laying in. "Why are you all curled up like that?" He asked in the gentlest way possible.

"Because everything is going wrong," she mumbled. "Dante, our baby-"

"Shh, shh." Lulu had broken down in sobs, and Dante was doing his best to comfort her. He slid over on the bed, closer to where the pillows were, and pulled Lulu into his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and cried into his shoulder.

Never had Dante seen Lulu Spencer so vulnerable.

"Lulu, it's okay. I'm right here," Dante reassured Lulu as his heart shattered into a million pieces. But he needed to stay strong for Lulu, who was having an emotional breakdown in his arms. He held her tighter.

"She's going to die. Our baby is going to die, and it's my fault. I should never have given myself up."

"Lulu, this is not your fault. It isn't. I'm _so_ grateful that you saved Krissy, and your courage was admirable. Please don't blame yourself."

"But you're always blaming yourself for what Ralph did to me and Krissy," countered Lulu.

Dante smiled slightly. "Fair enough. How about we make a deal? I'll stop blaming myself, if you stop blaming yourself."

"Okay," said Lulu with a sniffle. She pulled away from Dante's shoulder and looked him in his eyes. "Okay," she repeated, a little louder.

"Okay," added Dante, and kissed her again on top of her head.

"But," started Lulu while a fresh set of tears began to brim in her eyes, "what if our baby dies?"

Dante took a deep breath and began to rub Lulu's hand comfortingly. "We can't think that way, Lu. It won't do us, or the baby, any good."

"But what will we do?" she cried, and her body began to tremble in Dante's arms.

"We'll get through it together. Whatever happens, we'll make it through together," stated Dante firmly. "We've been through a lot of things together, and we made it through them, didn't we?"

Lulu nodded, and her mind drifted into the past. There was the disastrous carnival where Dante was hit by a car, the time when she almost froze to death with Dante by her side, when Franco kidnapped her and strapped her to a bomb, but Dante was still able to save her in time. Then there was the whole Sonny-shooting-his-long-lost-son thing. That had been one of the hardest times in her life, but she and Dante had gotten through it together. Why did she doubt that they would this time around?

"We'll get through this," said Lulu, and she meant it. Dante smiled widely and squeezed her tightly.

"You, Lulu Spencer, are the strongest person I've ever met," declared Dante before sheepishly adding, "apart from my ma, of course. Well, actually I think you two tie."

"Wow," said Lulu with a laugh, "what a complement. Me equally as strong as Olivia Falconeri. I wish."

"But you are."

"That's very sweet of you. Now, Dante Falconeri. You are the kindest, funniest, and sexiest man alive. Beat that." Lulu looked up at Dante, her eyes flaring with the competition.

"Okay. Lulu Spencer, you're the most gorgeous, sexy, caring person on the planet. Which makes me the _luckiest_ man on the planet," Dante leaned down and kissed Lulu tenderly on her lips. She smiled through the kiss and then drew back, clinging to Dante and resting her head on his shoulder.

"I love you," she whispered.

"I love you too."

The pair sat like that for a very long time. Dante held Lulu to his chest for minutes, which turned into hours in no time. He loved the rhythmic sound of her breathing as she was lulled to sleep by his heartbeat. When he finally made himself check his watch, Dante realized that it wasn't going to be easy to sneak out of the hospital now. It was eleven thirty, and he was supposed to be gone by ten.

Slowly, and as gently as he could, Dante lifted Lulu off his lap and back onto the mattress. Her expression remained peaceful as he placed her head on the pillow and pulled the sheets over her body.

"I love you," was all Dante said as he brushed one last strand of hair off Lulu's face, and then slipped out the door.

**Author's Note - once again, I'd like to give a big thank you to everyone who's read this story and who wrote a wonderful review. Thanks!!! Also, the fate of Lulu and Dante's baby will be revealed in the next chapter :)**


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Bright sunshine streamed through the window, waking Lulu up nice and early. She peered at the digital clock on the bedside table, which read 7:45 am.

"Great," Lulu muttered aloud. It was too early for visitors, which meant that for at least another hour and a half she'd be alone with her thoughts. That wasn't exactly what she needed.

Sighing, Lulu tried to sit up, but this just caused a sharp pain to travel up and down her arm. She winced and squeezed her eyes shut.

"Ow," she cried. With her eyes still closed, Lulu fumbled around next to her bed for the button that would call the nurse. When she finally had a hold of it, she pressed down hard.

As Lulu waited for a nurse to arrive, she tried deep breathing to help control the pain. After about a minute or so of remaining calm, she just couldn't take it anymore. Not only was she hurting emotionally, but she was hurting physically, too. It was all too much, and for the hundredth time in the past week, Lulu broke down in tears.

* * *

Dante lay awake in bed, his eyes glued to the ceiling. It had definitely been a rough night, and he hadn't gotten a wink of sleep since arriving home from the hospital. But now it was eight in the morning. He needed to get out of bed and make some coffee.

_BRING BRING BRING. _Dante could hear his phone ringing from on top of the bureau, where he'd left it last night. He quickly pulled a plain grey shirt over his head and jogged over to the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby. How're you holding up?" Olivia sounded very tired, but her voice was still gentle and caring.

Dante held the phone to his ear with his shoulder and began to make the coffee. "Okay, ma. I left the hospital at eleven thirty, and then I didn't sleep that well. But it doesn't matter."

"Eleven thirty?" asked Olivia incredulously. "Don't visiting hours end at nine or something like that?"

"Yeah. Robin snuck me in, and then Lulu had a breakdown. She kind of fell asleep on my lap," replied Dante while flicking the coffee maker on.

"She's lucky to have you," said Olivia, and Dante could tell that she was smiling. "So how did you get back out?"

"I was very sneaky. I didn't even get caught." Dante watched the coffee slowly drip down into his cup.

Olivia giggled. "Of course you didn't. I mean, you were an undercover cop."

"Yeah." Dante willed the coffee to drip faster. He was _so _tired.

"I'm on my way over," stated Olivia suddenly. "I'm gonna visit Lulu with you today, and keep you company."

"But ma-" The line went dead, and Dante groaned.

Ten minutes later, Dante was sitting on the bed with his full mug of coffee, sipping every so often and reading the paper. There was a small article about Ralph on the front page, but it only included the basic facts – _Ralph Maszen held two young women, Kristina Corinthos Davis and Lesley Lu Spencer, at gunpoint before shooting Lesley Lu. Lesley Lu was brought to the hospital by ambulance with a gunshot wound to the arm. Ralph was shot in the head in self defence by Sonny Corinthos._ _He died later in General Hospital from his injuries_. Recounting the facts of the previous evening made Dante sick.

That was when there was a knock on the door. "Dante?"

"Coming." Dante stood up, tossing the paper onto the bedside table and opening the door for Olivia. As usual, she was holding some sort of dish in her hands.

"Hey, honey." Dante stepped aside and Olivia walked in. She set the dish down on the little desk in the corner of the room. "I just brought you some breakfast. It's still warm."

Dante glanced at the dish. How typical of his mother. "Actually ma, I'm not really hungry."

"I understand. Maybe later." Olivia smiled at her son and sat down on the bed. She immediately reached for the newspaper.

"There's an article about everything on the front," said Dante.

"Yeah. I see it."

The room fell silent as Olivia read the article. Dante sat down next to her and looked over her shoulder.

"It's terrible," she whispered at last. "What a psychopath. Thank God nobody was seriously injured."

Dante just looked at her, and a flicker of recognition passed through her eyes. "Oh, oh the baby. I'm so sorry," Olivia reached over and embraced Dante. "Let's go to the hospital now and check up on Lulu. Maybe the test results will be available."

"Okay," Dante agreed, and the pair stood up. Olivia grabbed her purse off Dante's desk chair, and the two of them left for the hospital.

* * *

The pain medication had worked. Really, really well. After her arm had stopped throbbing in pain, Lulu had curled back up under the covers and shut her eyes. She must have fallen asleep, because the next time she checked the clock, it read 9:12 am.

There was a quiet knock on the door, and then it opened a crack.

"Lulu?" someone whispered.

"Yeah?"

"Hi! You're up." Robin walked in with a wide, cheerful smile on her face. "Did the pain meds work?"

"They did. My arm doesn't even hurt anymore." Lulu returned Robin's smile and sat up slowly.

Robin made her way over to the machine next to Lulu and began to fiddle around with it. "I can unplug you from this today," she said brightly. "Right now, actually. You're doing really well."

"Thanks," replied Lulu. Robin did something with the machine, and then took away the tube that wrapped around Lulu's face.

"There you go."

"That feels a lot better." Lulu took a deep breath. Things were beginning to look up, especially now that the physical pain had eased.

Robin pulled over the stool and took a seat. "So, Lulu, I wanted to talk to you about your injuries."

Lulu nodded and looked straight at Robin. She was ready to hear whatever was about to be said. "Uh huh?"

"Your arm is doing great. We just need to plan an appointment in the near future to remove the stitches. All of your bruises will heal as well."

"And the baby?"

"Like I said," began Robin with a shrug, "we need to play it by ear. If you can make it through today, then things should be good. But the most important thing is to tell me if you have any stomach pains. _Any_." Robin's face had gone very serious.

"O-okay. I will. But so far I haven't had any." Lulu placed a hand protectively on her stomach.

"Great. I'm cautiously optimistic," said Robin. She stood up and was about to leave when there was a knocking on the door. With a quick glance at Lulu, who nodded encouragingly, Robin turned the handle and opened it.

"Hey, hon." Olivia stood in the open door frame, her head cocked slightly to the side. She was smiling in a gloomy sort of way. "Can I come in?"

"Of course," answered Lulu. She sat up a little straighter and waved to Robin as she left. Olivia entered slowly, and sat down on the stool previously occupied by Robin.

"How are you feeling?" asked Olivia gently. She placed a hand on Lulu's.

Lulu sighed. "Better. The pain medication really worked."

"Are you healing alright?"

"Yeah. My arm didn't need surgery, and they already stitched it up. The bruises on my neck will also heal quickly." Lulu tried to smile at Olivia to hide the fact that she hadn't mentioned the most critical detail – the fate of her unborn baby. But she wasn't even sure if Dante had said anything to her in the first place.

Olivia glanced out the open door. "Dante came with me. He went to get you a coffee, so he'll probably be here any minute." Then she dropped her voice to a whisper and continued, "He's so lucky to have someone like you."

"I'm so lucky to have someone like him," said Lulu, and just the thought of Dante made her mood brighten.

"Hey gorgeous," called a voice from the door. Standing there was Dante, holding a cup of coffee in each hand. "How are you?"

"Okay." And Lulu meant it.

**Author's Note - hey everyone! There's still more of this story to come, even though it seems like things are winding down. And sorry that the fate of Dante and Lulu's baby wasn't given in this chapter...I wanted it to be, but the story kind of took a course of its own. Thanks again for reading and reviewing!!**


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

It was Lulu's third night in the hospital. The first had been the worst, emotionally and physically. The second hadn't been too terrible, although Lulu couldn't sleep due to the worry she was feeling. But the third, so far, wasn't all that bad. Even though her baby's fate was yet to be determined, Lulu's arm was starting to hurt less, and Dante was by her side. He'd been by her side almost every hour of every day since she arrived in the hospital.

"What are you thinking about?" asked Dante quietly. Lulu was startled and snapped her head around to face him. She realized that for the last few minutes she'd been staring out the window.

"Oh, nothing really." Lulu smiled at Dante and turned her attention to gazing out the window. Her mind had wandered back to her baby, and the familiar worry began to eat away at her once more.

"You're thinking about something," pointed out Dante, "because you're frowning. Are you worrying about the baby again?"

Lulu sighed. "Yeah. I am. How can I not?"

"I'm worried too, if that helps." Dante climbed onto Lulu's bed and lay down, pulling her body against his own. Lulu smiled and placed her hand on the arm that wrapped around her.

_KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK. _"Lulu? Can I come in?" called Robin from outside the door. "I have some news."

Lulu rolled over to face Dante, her eyes wide and her heart beating alarmingly fast. "Oh God," she murmured.

"It's okay, Lulu. Just take a deep breath." Dante began to rub Lulu's arm comfortingly, and then shouted, "You can come in Robin."

The door opened, and in walked Robin. She was holding her clipboard as she made her way over to the side of Lulu's bed. "Hi Lulu. How are you feeling?"

"Nervous."

"Well that's to be expected." Robin smiled. "How about physically?"

"Alright. My arm doesn't hurt that much anymore, and I've had no stomach pains." Lulu pulled herself up into a sitting position so that she could see Robin better.

"Good," said Robin. "Now, the latest tests results have come back, and I think you're gonna be-"

Wait!" cried Lulu. Robin fell silent and Dante looked behind himself at Lulu.

"What's wrong?" asked Dante. He reached out his hand, and Lulu took it.

"I'm...scared," she replied, her voice hardly audible. "What if it isn't good news?"

"Well isn't it better to know?" Dante looked at Lulu with his big concerned eyes and squeezed her hand. "C'mon. You can do this."

Lulu took a deep breath and nodded at Robin. "I'm sorry. Just...just say it."

"Okay." Robin took one last glance at her clipboard and then turned her attention back to Lulu. Dante was no longer looking at Robin; instead he was holding Lulu's gaze. He smiled slightly. "After we did that last test today, we can safely say that your baby is-"

Lulu shut her eyes and held on tightly to Dante's hand.

"-alive and well. He or she is fine, and your pregnancy should continue without any complications." Robin was beaming. "It's amazing that your baby was able to make it. She truly is just as strong as you."

At first the news didn't sink in for Lulu. She opened her eyes slowly, and stared at Dante's bright face without anything really registering. Then it hit her like a tidal wave, and she felt the corners of her mouth turn up into the biggest smile she could make. A happy-tear slid down her cheek and onto the pillow.

"She's okay?" Lulu asked, almost unbelievingly.

"She's okay," clarified Robin. "Your baby is fine."

Lulu threw her arms around Dante and buried her face in his shoulder. She felt his strong hands pressing her against him.

"She's okay," said Lulu to Dante. "Oh my God, she's okay."

Dante held Lulu tighter. "I love you, Lulu. And I love our baby _almost_ as much."

Lulu giggled. "I love you too. And I also love our baby."

The pair remained in each other's arms long after Robin had left. Lulu felt blissfully happy as she once again drifted to sleep in Dante's arms.

When Lulu's breathing became perfectly even and rhythmic, Dante knew she was asleep.

"Lulu?"

There was no response.

With a tender smile, Dante slowly pulled himself away from Lulu and stepped off the bed. Just as he was about to cover her with the blankets, she stirred.

"Dante?" said Lulu groggily. She squinted in his direction and stretched out her arms.

"Shh, shh." Dante pulled the covers over Lulu's body and kissed her on the forehead. "I'll see you tomorrow, beautiful."

"I love you," Lulu murmured before closing her eyes.

"I love you too." Dante stared at Lulu for a few minutes, taking in every breathtaking detail before heading for the door.

**Author's Note - sorry it took me a while to update...I just wanted to make this chapter perfect (or close to). Even though this chapter looks like the end of the story, it isn't :) I'm going to write a couple more chapters, probably surrounding the baby's birth. Thank you again for reading and reviewing! I really, really appreciate it!**


	29. Chapter 29

Chapter 29

**_Four Months Later_**

"I love it. How can you not love it?" Lulu wandered around the apartment, peering out windows and glancing in rooms. "This is the perfect apartment for us. And just look at the view!"

Dante followed Lulu into the bedroom and wrapped his arms around her. "I don't know, Lu. There isn't a separate room that we could use as a nursery."

"You know," began the realtor from behind, "I have one more apartment to show you. It has two bedrooms."

"We'd love to see it," exclaimed Dante as he took Lulu's hand in his.

Lulu sighed and walked with the others out of the apartment. "But this one's so nice," she whined.

"I know, but let's just look at the other one," said Dante. He looked back at Lulu and smiled brightly. "You never know..."

* * *

Lulu plopped down on the bed and stared out the large window. It was dusk, and she could see all the colours that painted the sky. "The view is breathtaking," she whispered as Dante joined her on the bed.

"I agree. Everything about this apartment is great. Plus, it's already furnished."

Lulu turned around to face Dante. "I say we get it."

"I second that," responded Dante. He leaned in and kissed Lulu gently on her lips. "Our baby is going to live in the best apartment around."

"And we'll prepare the best nursery around." Lulu stood up and then clutched at her stomach. "Oh."

"Lulu?" In two seconds flat Dante was at her side, with an arm around her shoulders. "You okay?"

Lulu looked up at him, her eyes bright. "It's the baby. He or she just kicked me _really_ hard. Ouch! There it is again. Here," Lulu took Dante's hand and placed it on her stomach.

Dante laughed. "Oh, even I felt that." He kissed Lulu on the head while keeping his hand planted firmly on her stomach.

"Our baby the boxer," said Lulu with a giggle.

They stood there like that for a few minutes before the realtor entered the room. "Sorry about that. I just had to make a couple of phone calls."

Dante looked up at the realtor and smiled. "No problem. By the way, we'll take this."

"The apartment?" asked the realtor in surprise. "But you've hardly even looked around!"

"Yeah, but we love it. And it feels right," said Dante. Lulu looked up and nodded in agreement.

"Well, I can't disagree with you on that. Congratulations on your new home!"

* * *

_**4 ½ Months Later (Approximately 8-9 months after the Ralph incident)**_

Lulu was suddenly awakened by a sharp pain in her abdomen. "Ouch!" She immediately wrapped her arms around her giant stomach and cringed.

_Was this it?_ Lulu was somewhere around nine months pregnant, which meant that she could have the baby any day. Was it going to happen then, at three in the morning?

Another sharp pain tore through her abdomen, and Lulu felt tears begin to prickle her eyes. "Ow," she cried loudly.

There was no response from the other side of the bed where Dante lay.

Taking the deepest breaths she could, Lulu crawled closer to Dante and shook his shoulder roughly. "Dante!"

His only response was a muffled snore.

_Don't panic, _Lulu commanded herself. This was nothing compared to the time nine months ago when Ralph had her at gunpoint. Nothing.

Then why was she suddenly so afraid?

"Dante!" She screamed in his ear. "Wake up!"

Dante flinched slightly and opened his eyes a tiny bit. "Lulu?" he murmured groggily.

Another stabbing pain. "Dante, get up!" wailed Lulu, shaking him as hard as she could. That was when Dante seemed to come to. His eyes opened widely and he bolted upright.

"Lulu, oh God. Are you okay?" He placed his hands on her shoulders and looked Lulu in her watery eyes.

"For God's sake, of course I'm not okay!" Lulu replied angrily. "I think I'm having the baby!"

As soon as Dante heard that the baby was coming, he leapt out of bed and pulled on the t-shirt he'd worn the previous day. "Can you walk?" he asked Lulu calmly, even though on the inside he was panicking.

"Yeah, yeah I think," she replied breathlessly. Dante pulled on a pair of jeans as Lulu clambered slowly off the bed.

"Ouch! Damn," she cried, keeling over on the floor. Never before in her life had Lulu experienced anything like what she was feeling at that moment. Dante rushed over to her side, and helped support her while the pair walked slowly over to the door of the bedroom.

"It's going to be okay, Lulu," he said gently. "This is the baby that we fought so hard for. We want this! _You _want this."

"To hell with that!" Lulu screamed as they made their way out the front door and onto a waiting elevator. Their apartment was on the third floor.

"C'mon Lulu. We're going to get to the hospital soon. Just take deep breaths, Dante coaxed, rubbing Lulu's back comfortingly. Lulu just squeezed her eyes shut.

"I'm sorry," she moaned, reaching for Dante's hand. "I'm sorry that I'm being so horrible."

Dante laughed. "I don't blame you."

The elevator made a little _DING_ noise, and Dante helped Lulu out. Two minutes later, they were in the car and speeding off towards General Hospital.

**Author's Note - hey guys! Sorry if the way Lulu reacted to the baby coming was somewhat unrealistic. I've never exactly been pregnant, therefore I couldn't know for sure. There are a couple more chapters to come, so please keep reading and reviewing!**


	30. Chapter 30

Chapter 30

Olivia couldn't sleep that night. To pass the time, she made herself a cup of tea and began to read the novel Dante had gotten her for her birthday. But she just couldn't concentrate. There was an odd feeling of anticipation about her that made her heart flutter.

Lulu's due date had been two days ago, on May 19, but nothing had happened. Since that day, Olivia had been slightly on edge just _waiting_ for a call from Dante saying that Lulu was in labour. But she still hadn't gotten one. Every day she called Lulu to check up, but Lulu was always feeling just fine.

When the phone began to ring, Olivia nearly fell off the couch in surprise. An instant dark stain was left on the sofa when her tea was jolted from its cup.

"Damn," she swore loudly when the boiling tea splashed onto her hand. But really, Olivia didn't care. This phone call could only mean one thing.

"Hello?" Olivia answered breathlessly. Her heart began to beat at an unnaturally quick pace, and her hands clutched the receiver tightly.

There was a muffled scream on the other end of the line. "Hey ma," Dante said in a jittery voice. "Uh, sorry to call you at such an awkward time but Lulu's in labour. I know you asked me to call you, so..."

"Oh God," Olivia kept the phone pressed to her ear while she began to search for her purse. _Where on earth could she have left it?_ "Is-is Lulu holding up alright? And where are you guys?"

"General Hospital. I'm just outside Lulu's room right now, but she's in a lot of pain. I'm not sure if you can hear the screaming." Dante was noticeably agitated and nervous.

_There it is. _Olivia picked up her purse off the kitchen counter and ran into the hallway closet to grab a jacket. "Okay, I'm on my way right now. Tell Lulu that if I could give birth at fifteen, then she'll surely be able to."

Dante sighed and Olivia heard him yell, "Breathe! For God's sake, Lulu, just take a deep breath and do what the doctor says!" Obviously, that comment had not been directed at Olivia.

"Dante, don't yell at her! Nobody knows the meaning of pain until they give birth. Now go in there and support Lulu. I'm on my way."Olivia had her jacket on and was fumbling in her purse for the keys.

"Okay, I have to go. See you soon." There was a click and the line went dead. Olivia through the phone onto the sofa and raced out her apartment door.

* * *

"Come on Lulu. You can do this!" Dante was sitting next to Lulu's bed holding her sweaty hand. She was squeezing it so tightly that Dante thought it would crack.

"Okay," she panted. "Yeah, okay. I can. I can do this. I can do... Ow!" Lulu cut off and screamed.

"Shh, shh." Dante brushed the hair out of Lulu's face and tried to smile at her.

"Dante?" Olivia appeared at the door to Lulu's room, her expression a mixture of anxiety and excitement. Then she saw Lulu's beat red, sweaty face. "Oh, Lulu." She rushed in and knelt down next to the bed.

"Olivia?" Lulu opened her eyes and looked up at Dante's mother. "Olivia, how did you do it?"

"I stayed strong just like you always do, and I accepted the pain. I accepted it because I knew that the reward would be a beautiful baby." Olivia reached out for Lulu's other hand. Lulu took it with a slight smile.

"Okay, I will. I... ouch! Damn!" Lulu wailed. She tightened her grip on Olivia's hand, causing her to cry out.

"Ow, okay Lulu? I'm just gonna take off my rings." Olivia withdrew her hand and pocketed her jewellery before stretching it out again for Lulu.

"Dante? Where's my dad? And Lucky?" Lulu asked suddenly while glancing in the direction of the door.

"Lucky's coming, Lu. And Luke is also on his way."

"Cupcake?" came a call from the door. All three of them looked up to see Luke, Lucky, and Tracy crowded in the narrow doorframe.

"Dad," Lulu said after taking a deep breath. "You came!"

"Of course. I wouldn't miss this for the world." Luke smiled and made a step into the room when Lulu screamed.

"Oh God. Oh God!" She was crying.

"Deep breath honey. C'mon." Olivia rubbed Lulu's hand in an attempt to calm her, but it didn't work.

At that time, a doctor appeared at the door behind the Spencer clan. "Could everyone please clear away? I need room to work." The doctor pushed into the room and began to examine her clipboard. Then she looked down at Lulu. After a further examination and another shriek on Lulu's part, she looked up at everyone in the room. "The baby's coming."

Lulu looked tearful and afraid. "I can't do this. I can't!" She was half sobbing and half screaming.

"Only Mr. Falconeri can remain in the room," continued the doctor as a couple of nurses entered. Olivia gave Lulu an encouraging smile and left with Luke and Tracy. Lucky remained in the doorway.

"I'm right outside, Lu," informed Lucky in a soft voice. "Just remember that you can do this. I know you can."

"I love you, Lucky," panted Lulu with a forced smile that turned into a painful grimace.

With one last glance at his sister, Lucky turned around and walked into the waiting room where the others were sitting in a heavy silence.

"Okay Lulu, push!" The doctor shouted. But Lulu was having none of it.

"Dan...te," she looked up at Dante, who was still holding her hand comfortingly, "I c-can't! I...Ow....I just can't," moaned Lulu. Tears were streaming down her red cheeks.

"C'mon, Lulu. Push!" repeated the doctor.

Dante looked down into Lulu's bloodshot eyes and held her gaze. Seeing her in this much pain made his heart ache. "I know you're scared, Lulu. Believe me, I would be too. But you're the strongest person I know, and you can do this."

Lulu was just shaking her head.

"Do this for yourself. Do it for me," pleaded Dante. "I'll stay here with you and see you through this. C'mon, let's do this together."

Lulu took a deep breath and bit her lip to keep from crying out.

"Lulu, this is your chance. Push _now_." The doctor's tone was serious. Lulu looked up, and for the first time, she noticed that one of the people in the room was Robin. She smiled and nodded encouragingly. Seeing Robin reminded Lulu of all that she'd been through just nine months ago, when Ralph Maszen had put her in the hospital. Robin and Dante had helped her through that entire ordeal, and she knew they'd help her through this one as well.

"Robin, come by me," asked Lulu, her face contorted in pain. Robin moved closer and patted Lulu's sweaty hand.

"Push. _Now_." Insisted Robin quietly, her voice tender and motherly.

Lulu brought her gaze back to Dante and when he smiled weakly, she took a breath and pushed. _Hard_.

* * *

Olivia had a magazine on her lap, but she wasn't paying it any attention. Instead, she was staring down the hall in the direction of Lulu's room. She said a silent prayer for Lulu, Dante, and the baby.

Lucky stood up and walked off towards the vending machine, his cell phone in hand. First, he called Ethan. Then Kristina who had become one of Lulu's best friends since the Ralph ordeal. Lastly, he called Maxie. Less than half an hour later, the three of them had all arrived in the waiting room.

"Where's Lulu?" Demanded Maxie. She had a hand on her hip, and was standing next to Kristina.

"Is she okay?" asked Kristina nervously.

"Lulu's down that hall giving birth," answered Lucky, "and she's in a great deal of pain. You guys should probably just sit down with us and wait."

So that's what they did. They waited.


	31. Chapter 31

Chapter 31

"She...she's beautiful," murmured Lulu after Robin had placed the baby in her arms.

Robin was beaming. "She's also healthy. You're incredibly lucky that she's in such good shape, especially after what happened with Ralph."

Lulu nodded but said nothing. All she could do was gaze down at the little girl in her arms. Her daughter had not been born easily, but that no longer mattered to Lulu. The only thing that mattered was that her baby was healthy, and so, so adorable.

"Lulu?" Standing in the doorframe was Dante. Behind him were Luke and Olivia.

"Dante, come hold her." Lulu held out the little girl slightly, and Dante hurried over to the bed. "Here."

And Dante was holding a baby. _His _baby with Lulu. He had never felt more thrilled than he did at that moment.

"Sorry I sent you to get them," whispered Lulu so only Dante could hear.

"It's fine," replied Dante, turning his head to kiss Lulu on the forehead. "I love you, beautiful."

"I love you too."

"Can we come it?" Both Dante and Lulu snapped out of the trance they were in to see Olivia and Luke, still standing at the door.

Dante looked down at his daughter, and felt too attached to the little wriggling baby to give her up just yet. "Ma, maybe you can come back in a little while?"

Olivia grinned and nodded. "I know the feeling, honey. You two take as much time as you need."

"But what about me?" asked Luke. "Don't I get to hold my grandchild?"

"Later," giggled Lulu. "Olivia, can you bring him with you?"

"Sure." Olivia placed a hand on Luke's arm and directed him away from the room.

Now that they were alone, Lulu needed to ask the most important question of all. "Dante, what are we going to name her?"

There was a short silence in which both parents stared down at their baby.

"How about..." prompted Dante.

Lulu shrugged. "We could name her after someone."

"Good idea. As long as her middle name isn't _Sonny,_ then I'm fine," said Dante with a laugh.

"Agreed. We could name her after one of our mothers," suggested Lulu, reaching out for the baby. Dante passed her over despite the fact that he hadn't wanted to give her up.

There was another silence. Even though Dante had the perfect name in mind, he was slightly worried about how Lulu would react.

"What is it?" Lulu's voice jolted Dante slightly, and he looked up at her. "I can tell that you have an idea. It's all over your face."

"Am I that readable?"

"No, I just know you really well. So what is it?" Lulu gazed at Dante expectantly.

"Okay," he replied at last. "I was thinking about your mom. Laura."

Lulu promptly fixed her eyes on her daughter and sighed. Dante bit his lip, hoping that he hadn't upset Lulu.

"Or Olivia? Maybe Angela. I've always liked Angela. Then there's Edlyn, or maybe Gaby. Scarlet? Cammie? Melody? Ooh, how 'bout Lois?" Dante rambled on.

Lulu snorted without meaning to, and then sniggered, "Lois? You want to name our daughter _Lois_? I'm not saying it's a bad name, but..."

"No? Not Lois?" Teased Dante, reaching out for Lulu's hand.

"It's a beautiful name, don't get me wrong. But not for her," Lulu nodded at their daughter.

"I'm sorry for bringing up your mom. I know you miss her," apologized Dante while squeezing Lulu's hand, but she just looked up and grinned.

"I'm happy you did. I'd love to name out daughter Laura, because every time I see her I'll remember the amazing person my mom is."

Dante smiled widely. "So is it settled? Laura?"

"Yeah. It's a beautiful name," pointed out Lulu. "But what about the middle name? Olivia?"

"Nah," said Dante. "I don't think Olivia suits her."

"Wait. What's your middle name?" asked Lulu. "I can't believe I've never asked."

"Angelo," answered Dante with a shrug. "So?"

"You said that you liked the name Angela, so..." Lulu trailed off when Dante began to nod.

"Laura Angela Falconeri. I like it," he commented, staring down at 'Laura.' "I'll go get the family. They're dying to see her, and we can announce her name."

"Sure."

* * *

"You named her Laura?" whispered Olivia. "Aw, guys. That's so beautiful."

Lulu beamed. "You like it, dad?"

Luke tore his gaze away from Laura and smiled. "It definitely suits her."

The entire group was gathered around Lulu's bed. Luke, Olivia, Ethan, Lucky, Kristina, Maxie and Nik, along with Dante, were all grinning down at Laura.

"It's absolutely perfect. She even looks like a Laura!" said Kristina.

"Yeah, she does," put in Lucky.

There was silence while everyone took in every detail of the gorgeous baby in Lulu's arms. When Laura opened her eyes, everyone moved a little closer.

They were blue. Just like Laura's.


	32. Chapter 32

**Note - since I started this story before the whole Lulu-and-Dante-helped-send-Michael-to-prison-and-now-Carly-wants-revenge story line, Carly and Lulu are still very close.**

Chapter 32

_One Month Later_

"Hello?" Lulu picked up her call without looking at the caller id.

"Lulu? Lulu! Why haven't you been picking up the phone?" demanded Maxie on the other end.

_Damn,_ thought Lulu to herself as she tilted her head to look up at the ceiling. For the past two weeks, Lulu had been trying desperately to avoid any communication with her former roommate. Maxie was intent on planning a baby shower for her, and wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. Truthfully, the past few weeks had been the most tiring of her life. All Lulu wanted to do was sleep.

"Okay, Maxie? Not to be rude, but I was finally able to put Laura down for a nap, and I really, _really_ want some time to myself. Then I might actually be able to relax." Lulu crossed her fingers, praying that Maxie would just hang up.

But Maxie had other plans. "Lulu, I finally get a hold of you, and now you're too _tired?_ Laura is just one, tiny baby. How much work could that really be? Nothing compared to what Kate has me doing right now at Crimson, that's for sure."

"_What?"_ Lulu could hardly contain her annoyance. "How naive can you be? Taking care of _one tiny baby_ is harder than anything I've done in my entire life. I don't sleep. I hardly have time to eat. Not to mention the fact that Laura likes to cry for hours on end. I love her to death, but she's –"

"Okay, okay. I get it," muttered Maxie, cutting Lulu off. "But now that I have you on the phone, I'm not going to hang up until I get what I want. So. Let's get down to business. How does this Saturday sound?"

"This Saturday?" repeated Lulu incredulously. "You're crazy. There's no way that you can arrange everything in time for this Saturday. Today is Thursday."

"So? Just answer the question."

"Yeah, I guess. It isn't like I actually leave the house anymore."

"Great," responded Maxie enthusiastically.

"But there's no way –"

Maxie heaved a loud sigh. "Lulu, I've been planning this baby shower since you got home from the hospital. I already knew Saturday was fine, because I tricked Dante into telling me. I just didn't want to surprise you."

"Wow. That's great, Maxie. I'm so, so excited." Lulu's tone dripped with sarcasm. Maxie didn't seem to notice, and if she did, she didn't care.

"Whatever. Just don't be surprised when half of Port Charles shows up on your doorstep in a couple of days. Oh yeah, and you like chocolate cake, right?"

There wasn't even a point in fighting it anymore. Defeated, Lulu sullenly replied, "Yeah."

"Thanks. See you Saturday!" The line went dead. Shaking her head, Lulu tossed her phone to the left. It ended up hitting the brass lamp with a loud, reverberating _ding._

Two seconds later, Laura had started to wail.

* * *

_Saturday (Morning of the Baby Shower)_

"You look beautiful, as always," remarked Dante as he strode into the bedroom he and Lulu shared.

Lulu beamed and twirled in front of the full length mirror. Maxie had arrived early to do her hair and makeup, as well as counsel her on what to wear. Needless to say, Lulu looked stunning. Especially for someone who had just given birth a couple of weeks earlier.

"Where's Laura? Is she in that floral dress I bought for her?" asked Lulu, sounding slightly concerned. Dante couldn't help but grin. Lulu was so sweet worrying about something as minor as what their baby was wearing.

"She's with Maxie in the nursery, and yes, I put her in the floral dress." Dante made his way towards Lulu and wrapped his arms around her waist. "Everything will be fine today, so don't worry. Also, I spoke with Carly. She said that she could babysit Laura for an hour or so at her house tonight. That way you and I could have some _alone time._"

Lulu looked anxiously up at Dante. "Would that be okay? Carly watching Laura, I mean? I just don't know..."

"Carly's had three children, Lulu. She can look after ours for an hour," reassured Dante, squeezing Lulu tightly. She responded by pulling away and walking towards the door.

"Okay. Let's just get through today." Lulu sighed and reached for the door knob. Dante met her gaze and gave her a tight smile before she left the room, calling Maxie's name.

Dante clapped his hands together in frustration and followed after Lulu.

They _really _needed some alone time.

**Author's Note - I hope you guys are still liking this story! Thanks so much for reading and reviewing, it really means a lot to me :)**


	33. Chapter 33

Chapter 33

"Aw, it's adorable!" cooed Lulu over the safari-style dress Carly had bought for Laura. She held it to Laura's wriggling frame, and sighed contentedly. "It's the perfect size. Thanks, Carly."

Carly smiled and bounced Laura up and down on her knee. The little baby had spent most of the shower with Carly, so the two could get better acquainted. So far Laura adored her.

"Was that the last of them?" Asked Dante, glancing around the room for any un-opened gifts. Tissue paper and gift bags littered the floor, and the dirty plates formed a mountain next to the sink. The apartment was a disaster.

"Yep," replied Maxie. She stood up along with the rest of the crowd.

Lulu looked at her friend frantically. "Uh, Maxie? Didn't you say you'd stay after to help me and Dante clean up?"

Maxie sighed and walked over to the sofa where Lulu was perched. "Fine. I'll help."

"Thanks," said Dante as he followed their guests to the door. He thanked them all on their way out, and once everyone but Maxie and Carly were gone, he sunk down next to Lulu on the sofa. "This was exhausting," he complained, rubbing his eyes with his hands.

Lulu glanced over at the clock in the kitchen. It was already seven in the evening. The shower had started at four.

"Lulu?" Carly called. Lulu turned her attention to her cousin, who was standing next to the sink and pile of dishes. "Have you thought about a christening?"

"No. There's already so much going on." Lulu stood up and made her way towards Carly.

"I can do the dishes," offered Carly. She looked under the sink for the soap, and began to run the water.

"No, really. It's fine." Lulu dumped the dishes into the sink while Carly sprinkled them with soap.

"You go somewhere with Dante. Maxie and I will clean up."

"Seriously?" Maxie whined. She was admiring some of the little baby outfits Laura had received.

Carly laughed. "Yeah Maxie. Seriously."

"Fine." Maxie began to pick up some of the tissue paper off the floor.

Lulu hugged Carly. "Thank you, guys. We'll just be in our room."

"Thanks," Dante said sincerely. He picked up Laura and took her to the nursery. It had been a long day for her, too, so she was asleep the second Dante laid her in the crib.

Lulu snuck into the room and wrapped her arms around Dante's neck. They stood like that, looking down at Laura, for a few minutes.

"When do we get our alone time?" whispered Lulu at last.

"Tonight...sometime. Carly said she'd take Laura, but it looks like Laura is a little tired to be going somewhere."

Lulu sighed and steered Dante out of the room. "So what does that mean?"

"Uh, you guys?" Maxie's voice drifted down the hallway. "I have an idea. What if you two go to my apartment?"

Lulu lit up. "Really? Hasn't Spinelli moved into my old room yet?"

Maxie approached them. "Nope. He can't bring himself to leave Jason. So, it looks like you guys are in luck. I still haven't moved your bed or sheets. The room's all yours."

"Perfect." Before Lulu could say anything, Dante had a hold on her wrist and was directing her into their bedroom.

"What do we need in here?" Lulu, puzzled, glanced around the room. "The most important stuff is still in my room back at Maxie's."

"Does Maxie have condoms?" asked Dante.

"Oh. Probably, but I don't know where." Lulu broke away from Dante and into the bathroom that was connected to the bedroom. She flicked on the light switch and began to search through the medicine cabinet. The box was at the back. Had it really been that long? Shaking her head, Lulu dropped the box into her bag and left the bathroom.

"Got it?"

"Yeah." Lulu showed Dante her purse and smiled. "I think we're ready."

* * *

Lulu tested her key in the lock. "It still works."

Dante laughed. "Why wouldn't it? Does Maxie have some reason to change the locks?"

"Maybe..." answered Lulu with a giggle. She took Dante's hand and the two of them entered the familiar apartment together.

Lulu glanced around the room. "Wow. It doesn't feel like I ever left," she remarked.

"Well it was only a few months ago that you moved out." Dante placed his hand on Lulu's shoulders and looked her straight in the eyes. "But that doesn't matter. What matters is that we're finally alone, and there's no one here to interrupt us. Our baby is safe, our apartment is being cleaned, and we just had some really great cake. There's only one thing that could make all of this even better."

"And I happen to know what that is." Lulu wrapped her arms around Dante's neck and pressed her lips to his. After a moment, she pulled away. "And believe me," she whispered, "I want it just as badly as you do."

Dante grinned and pulled Lulu closer. In no time, his lips had come down on hers in a passionate craze, sending Lulu into the clouds. And she wasn't going to be coming down anytime soon.

As they kissed, holding each other as if it was the last time they ever would, Dante began to move backwards towards Lulu's bedroom. Lulu got the message. She jumped onto Dante, wrapping her legs around his waist, and allowed him to carry her to their destination.

The bedroom looked strangely empty. Of course the bed was still there, along with some sheets and a pillow. The bureau still stood in the corner next to the desk, and the window was still adorned with the violet drapes Lulu had picked out herself. But the personal feel was gone. The entire thing made Lulu feel slightly uncomfortable, despite the fact that Dante was already lowering her backwards onto the bed. She pushed him away.

Looking startled, Dante asked, "What's wrong? Did I hurt you?"

"No, no. Of course not," reassured Lulu. "It just feels weird in here. I know it's stupid..."

Dante smiled gently. "No, it's not stupid. What do you want to do?"

"How about the couch? The one in the living room." Since the living room still felt home-y, Lulu knew it would see more comfortable.

"Sounds fine to me." Dante swept Lulu into his arms and carried her down that hall, kissing her neck, her ear, and her lips. When they reached the living room, Dante seated himself on the couch with Lulu on his lap. It was her turn to shower him in kisses.

When things had become more heated and passionate, Lulu pushed Dante backwards and rolled on top of him. She finally began to remember how amazing it was to truly be with Dante.

It was bliss.


End file.
